Call for Nominations: Resilient Australia Awards

Deadline: 02-Jun-2026

The Resilient Australia Awards recognise and celebrate initiatives that strengthen community resilience to disasters and emergencies across Australia. Open to businesses, community organisations, governments, schools, and researchers, the awards highlight projects that improve preparedness, risk reduction, recovery, collaboration, and resilience-building at both state/territory and national levels.

About the Resilient Australia Awards

The Resilient Australia Awards promote initiatives that help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.

The program is sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with states and territories and is managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.

These awards celebrate projects that show resilience in action, especially those that strengthen collaboration between:

• Government

• Community organisations

• Not-for-profits

• Businesses

• Schools

• Research institutions

• Other sectors

Why These Awards Matter

The awards aim to support whole-of-community resilience by recognising projects that:

• Increase awareness of disaster risk and resilience

• Encourage locally led action

• Promote innovation and cross-sector collaboration

• Strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery

• Support sustainable and inclusive resilience outcomes

• Help decision-makers integrate disaster risk reduction into planning

This makes the awards valuable for organisations working in disaster preparedness, emergency management, climate resilience, mental health, community safety, and recovery support.

State and Territory Award Categories

At the state and territory level, categories include:

• Resilient Australia Business Award
  For businesses and private sector initiatives

• Resilient Australia Community Award
  For community-based organisations and NGOs

• Resilient Australia Government Award
  For state and federal departments and agencies

• Resilient Australia Local Government Award
  For local governments and their associations

• Resilient Australia Mental Health and Wellbeing Award
  For initiatives supporting mental health before, during, and after disasters

• Resilient Australia School Award
  For public and private pre-schools, primary schools, and secondary schools

National Award Categories

At the national level, key categories include:

• Resilient Australia National Award
  For outstanding projects showing systemic change and significant results

• Resilient Australia National Collaboration and Partnership Award
  For initiatives involving strong cross-sector or multi-partner collaboration

• Resilient Australia National Research for Impact Award
  For tertiary institutions with research that strengthens disaster resilience

• Resilient Australia National Business Award
  For leading business sector projects

• Resilient Australia National Community Award
  For community initiatives recognised at the state and territory level

What Kind of Projects Are Recognised?

Projects considered for the awards usually demonstrate strong impact in areas such as:

• Disaster risk awareness

• Community resilience building

• Emergency preparedness

• Recovery and adaptation

• Risk reduction across sectors

• Collaboration and partnerships

• Mental health and wellbeing in disasters

• Research and evidence-based resilience

• Sustainable and inclusive resilience outcomes

Who Should Apply?

These awards are relevant for:

• Businesses

• NGOs and community organisations

• Local governments

• State and federal agencies

• Schools

• Tertiary institutions

• Collaborative partnerships across sectors

If your project helps communities become safer, more prepared, and more resilient, it may be a strong fit.

How to Apply / What to Do

To prepare a strong nomination:

1. Choose the right category

   • Select the state/territory or national category that best matches your initiative.

2. Show clear resilience impact

   • Explain how your project improves preparedness, response, recovery, or risk reduction.

3. Highlight collaboration

   • Strong partnerships across sectors can strengthen your application.

4. Use evidence

   • Include outcomes, lessons, reach, and measurable community benefits.

5. Demonstrate sustainability

   • Show how the initiative creates long-term resilience and values local strengths.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing the wrong award category

• Describing the project too generally without clear outcomes

• Failing to show community impact

• Overlooking collaboration and partnership strengths

• Not linking the initiative clearly to disaster resilience

FAQs

What are the Resilient Australia Awards?

They are national awards that recognise initiatives strengthening community resilience to disasters and emergencies across Australia.

Who manages the awards?

The program is managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and supported by the Australian Government in partnership with states and territories.

Who can apply?

Eligible entrants may include businesses, community groups, NGOs, government agencies, local governments, schools, and tertiary institutions.

Are there different categories?

Yes. There are state and territory categories as well as national award categories.

What types of projects are recognised?

Projects that improve preparedness, disaster risk awareness, resilience, recovery, mental health support, collaboration, and sustainable community outcomes.

Final Takeaway

The Resilient Australia Awards are a strong recognition opportunity for organisations and partnerships working to improve disaster resilience across Australia. If your initiative strengthens preparedness, recovery, collaboration, or community-led resilience, these awards can help showcase your impact at both the state/territory and national levels.

For more information, visit Australian Government.