Nominations Open for the Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence (Australia)

Deadline: 7-Aug-22

Nominations are now open for the Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence to recognise, celebrate and appreciate outstanding Victorians and organisations for their service to multicultural Victoria.

The Multicultural Awards for Excellence (MAEs) formally recognize people and organizations who have fostered cross-cultural understanding and supported those with migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to fully participate in all aspects of Victorian life.

Categories

• Arts: Recognising artists, performers and organisations that develop and implement arts programs or initiatives that improve intercultural learning or social cohesion through participation and performance.
• Business: Recognising businesses that provide outstanding service to Victorian multicultural communities and lead the way in building a culturally diverse and culturally safe workplace.
  • For newly arrived Victorians, workforce participation and easy access to culturally appropriate services are crucial to developing a sense of belonging and purpose.
• Community Innovation: Recognising short-term projects or programs completed in the last 18 months that used outside-the-box thinking to address a problem facing a culturally diverse community and that shared knowledge about a culture with a wider audience.
• Education: Recognising early childhood staff, services, schools, vocational education and training settings and not-for-profit organisations that deliver outstanding learning and teaching programs that enhance the social inclusion, wellbeing and education outcomes for children and students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
  • This category recognises the achievements of four nominees, one from each of the following sub-categories:
    • Early childhood education
    • School education Vocational Education and Training (pre-accredited community-based training) Vocational Education and Training (accredited training)
• Emergency Services: Recognising people, units, clubs or stations working or volunteering for Victoria’s emergency services who promote and champion cultural diversity and address the specific needs of multicultural communities.
• Health: Recognising health practitioners, researchers and organisations that address the needs of people with culturally diverse backgrounds and/or provide outstanding health care, support or services to multicultural communities.
• Justice: Recognising people and organisations that promote or improve access for multicultural communities to the justice system, support or advocate for multicultural communities to address systemic issues within the justice system or promote cultural diversity and inclusion in the legal sector.
• Local Government: Recognising local government authorities (councils) for major initiatives that meet the needs of their culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse communities.
• Media: Recognising outstanding reporting of issues of importance to culturally diverse communities and reporting that contributes to Victorians’ improved cross-cultural understanding.
• Police:Recognising outstanding contributions to multicultural harmony in the field of policing in four sub-categories:
  • Police Annual Multicultural Award: For establishing relationships with multicultural communities by developing innovative strategies.
  • Protective Service Officer Multicultural Award: For establishing relationships with multicultural communities by developing innovative strategies.
  • Police Multicultural Media Award: For communicating police or multicultural issues via ethnic and/or mainstream media outlets.
  • Police Community Exemplary Award: For developing innovative strategies and initiatives that promote positive relations between Police and multicultural communities.
• Premier’s Award for Community Harmony: Recognising an individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to increasing understanding, acceptance and cooperation between different faith and cultural groups.
  • the winner of this award will be selected by the Premier of Victoria following their assessment of eligible nominations.
• Refugee Advocacy: Recognising people and organisations that support or advocate for the rights and needs of newly arrived refugees and people seeking asylum, improves access to settlement services and/or employment pathways, and creates opportunities for participation, contribution and belonging.
• Sport: Recognising people and organisations that develop and implement sporting programs that aim to build social cohesion and harmony across communities.
• Youth Leadership: Recognising the outstanding contributions of a young person, group or organisation that provides leadership, empowerment and support to young Victorians from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals must reside in Victoria.
• Organisations (including businesses and government agencies) must be based or operating in Victoria.
• Other eligibility criteria apply to each category.
• Arts
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, and organisations.
  • Multiple organisations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Criteria
  • Promotes, supports and preserves cultural expression through the arts.
  • Cultivates the talents of culturally diverse artists through participation and performance.
  • Builds social cohesion and fosters intercultural understanding by creating opportunities for collaboration and performance.
• Business
  • Eligibility
  • Businesses and organisations whose focus is the inclusion of cultural diversity in their workforce, products and/or services.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Criteria
  • Develops innovative internal practices that demonstrate the benefits of multiculturalism.
  • Implements effective business practices to increase employment for people with multicultural backgrounds.
  • Uses innovative marketing and communications strategies to engage multicultural audiences with their service or product.
  • Uses a multilingual workforce to engage the community.
• Community Innovation
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, organisations and local governments.
  • Multiple organisations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Criteria
  • Successful delivery of an innovative project or program that:
  • Was completed in the last 18 months
  • Ran for a maximum of three years in total
  • Shared a community’s culture or message to an audience outside their community
  • Resolved or made good steps toward resolving, an issue affecting a large community using innovation and compassion.
• Education
  • Eligibility
  • Early childhood staff, services, schools, vocational education and training services (accredited and pre-accredited training), and not-for-profit community organisations working in the early childhood, schools or vocational education and training services sector/s.
  • Self-nominations from organisations are accepted.
  • Nomination of individuals is accepted
  • Criteria
  • Delivers and drives innovative:
  • Teaching and learning programs that strengthen intercultural capability and celebrate cultural diversity.
  • Programs and initiatives that support the settlement outcomes for newly arrived Victorians from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
  • Collaborative community projects that improve education and wellbeing outcomes for Victorians with CALD backgrounds.
• Emergency Services
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, units, clubs and stations belonging to:
  • Ambulance Victoria
  • Australian Red Cross
  • Country Fire Authority
  • Fire Rescue Victoria
  • Forest Fire Management Victoria
  • Life Saving Victoria
  • Marine Search and Rescue
  • State Emergency Service
  • NOTE: Victoria Police nominations must be made under the Police category.
  • Multiple organisations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Criteria
  • Develops innovative internal practices that promote and support cultural diversity and inclusion in units, clubs or stations.
  • Considers and responds to specific needs of multicultural communities through service delivery, communications or community engagement.
  • Promotes the benefits of cultural diversity and builds social cohesion within local community through engagement and awareness activities.
• Health
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, and organizations.
  • Multiple organizations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • criteria
  • Addresses the health needs of culturally diverse Victorians through culturally appropriate services or research.
  • Fosters cultural diversity and inclusion in the healthcare system and increases cultural awareness within the workforce.
  • Promotes or supports effective health messaging for culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians.
• Justice
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, and organizations.
  • Multiple organizations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • criteria
  • Delivers or advocates for innovative and responsive approaches to improve access for multicultural communities to the justice system.
  • Supports clients with culturally diverse backgrounds and their families to navigate the justice system and improve legal literacy.
  • Addresses systemic issues within the justice system affecting Victorians with culturally diverse backgrounds.
  • Develops innovative practices that promote and support cultural diversity and inclusion in the w orkplace or broader legal sector.
• Local Government
  • Eligibility
  • Victorian local government authorities / municipal councils.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • criteria
  • Respond to culturally and linguistically diverse communities with enhanced and culturally relevant services.
  • Promotes inclusive participation and engagement of culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the civic life of Victoria.
  • Promotes greater communication and access between culturally and linguistically diverse communities and local government.
• Media
  • Recognizing outstanding reporting of issues of importance to culturally diverse communities and reporting that contributes to Victorians’ improved cross-cultural understanding.
  • Eligibility
  • Individual journalists or media organizations for work that they published/broadcast between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Proof of original work is required.
  • criteria
  • Increases awareness and understanding of multicultural affairs in Victoria.
  • Shows sensitive understanding of a relevant issue affecting or involving multicultural or multifaith communities.
  • Rep orting has a constructive impact on Victorians and builds or supports social cohesion.
• Police
  • Police Annual Multicultural Award: Eligibility: Victoria Police employees.
  • Protective Service Officer Multicultural Award: Eligibility: Victoria Police Protective Service Officers
  • Police Multicultural Media Award: Eligibility: Victoria Police employees.
  • Police Community Exemplary Award: Eligibility: community groups, members, or service providers and Victoria Police employees.
  • criteria
  • As these awards are managed by Victoria Police
• Premier’s Award for Community Harmony
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, organizations, businesses, corporations and local governments.
  • Those being nominated for paid or voluntary work.
  • Self-nominations are not accepted.
  • criteria
  • Undertakes initiatives with multiple organizations, individuals or groups seeking to increase understanding and acceptance between cultural or religious groups.
  • Leads initiatives that promote acceptance of other cultures and religions.
  • Initiates community activities involving more than one cultural or faith. Group working to get her on a community project that demonstrates or promotes harmony.
• Refugee Advocacy
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, and organizations.
  • Multiple organizations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • criteria
  • Effectively supports or advocates for the rights and needs of newly arrived refugees and people seeking asylum.
  • Improves access for refugees and people seeking asylum to settlement services and/or employment pathways and opportunities.
  • Creates opportunities for refugees and people seeking asylum to participate, contribute and belong.
• Sport
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals, community groups, and organisations.
  • Multiple organisations working together are also eligible.
  • Self-nominations are accepted.
  • Criteria
  • Develops innovative internal practices that demonstrate the benefits of multiculturalism.
  • Promotes cultural diversity within sport and fosters intercultural understanding and inclusion.
  • Increases participation of Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in sport.
• Youth Leadership
  • Eligibility
  • Individuals aged under 25 years old.
  • Community groups or organisations run by people aged under 25 years old.
  • Self-nominations are not accepted
  • Criteria
  • Supports young people from culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse communities to participate and contribute to society.
  • Successfully implements a program or initiative designed to resolve, or aim to resolve, an issue affecting culturally diverse youth in their community.
  • Actively promotes and builds community understanding and engagement through volunteering or paid work.

For more information, visit https://www.multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au/multicultural-awards-for-excellence