What are the WA Youth Awards?
The WA Youth Awards were founded in 1999 to honour outstanding young people in WA making significant contributions to their community through a variety of disciplines.
Who runs the WA Youth Awards?
The WA Youth Awards are run by the Youth Affairs Council of WA, the peak body for young people and the youth sector in Western Australia.
The WA Youth Awards are supported by major partners Lotterywest and the Department of Communities; award sponsors the Aboriginal Health Council of WA, The Commissioner for Children and Young People, ECU, Youth Focus, Mission Australia, Propel Youth Arts WA, The Y WA and Youth Futures.
When do the WA Youth Awards happen?
The WA Youth Awards will take place on Friday 27 October at the WA Museum Boola Bardip.
Who can nominate for the WA Youth Awards?
In 2023 the WA Youth Awards has 10 categories open for nomination – one for organisations, one for youth workers (of any age) and seven for young people in WA age 10 – 25 doing outstanding work in a range of disciplines.
When do nominations open and close?
Nominations for the WA Youth Awards opened on Monday 3 July.
Nominations close on 15 September 2023.
What are the prizes for the WA Youth Awards?
Each category winner will receive a $1,000 prize courtesy of their category sponsor. The WA Young Person of the Year will receive a $10,000 bursary to participate in youth-related activities courtesy of Lotterywest.
I’ve submitted my nomination. What happens now?
Congratulations! You should receive an email in your inbox confirming that your nomination has been received. If you’re unsure, get in touch with us at yacwa@yacwa.org.au and we’ll let you know if we’ve received it.
Once nominations close, we’ll pass each nomination onto a group of our trusted youth sector colleagues to determine the finalists for each category. We’ll let you know in mid-March if you’ve been selected as a finalist.
I’m 25. Am I eligible for the youth categories?
Yes – anyone who is age 25 at Friday 27 October, the originally scheduled date of the awards, is eligible to be nominated for the youth categories.
I’m a youth worker who’s older than 25. Am I eligible for the Minister for Youth’s Most Outstanding Youth Worker Award?
Yes! The Minister for Youth’s Most Outstanding Youth Worker Award is open to youth workers of any age. Over the years, our finalists have been a mix of experienced youth workers with 30-year careers in the profession, alongside ambitious young youth workers new to the youth sector.
If the winner of the Minister for Youth’s Most Outstanding Youth Worker Award is age 25 or under at the date of the Awards, they’ll be eligible for the WA Young Person of the Year Award.
I’m from regional WA. Am I eligible to nominate for and attend the awards?
Yes! The WA Youth Awards are open to anyone living and working in the entire state of WA. We always have several regional finalists and award winners. Thanks to the support of Lotterywest, we’re able to provide travel and accommodation bursaries for regional finalists to attend the awards.
I’ve been a finalist or nominee in previous years. Can I nominate again?
Yes – previous finalists and nominees are welcome to re-nominate for the 2023 edition of the WA Youth Awards.
Am I better off submitting a nomination for myself, or getting someone else to submit a nomination for me?
It’s entirely up to you. Some people are comfortable writing about their own work while others prefer to let their nominator do the talking. The best option is whatever gives the clearest picture of the nominee’s accomplishments.
Should my nomination focus on what I’ve done in the last 12 months?
Yes, but not exclusively. While the judges for the WA Youth Awards will pay close attention to what nominees have done since the last awards (in October 2022), we understand that those accomplishments are often the product of several years of hard work, dedication and passion. If something the nominee did three years ago is relevant to the reason you’re nominating, we encourage you to include it.
How are the finalists for each category chosen?
After the nominations close, YACWA gathers a group of experienced youth sector workers, young people and representatives from our sponsor contacts to read through the results and determine the most appropriate finalists for each category.
How are the winners for each category chosen?
For each award, YACWA assembles a series of three-person panels featuring sponsor representatives, experienced youth sector reps and young people. Each panel will conduct a 20-minute interview with the finalists in their category, discussing work and their aspirations with relevance to the criteria and the activities listed in their nomination. These interviews will happen either in-person, over the phone or over a live video chat. After completing their interviews, the panel will determine a winner for that category.
How is the WA Young Person of the Year chosen?
Following the conclusion of the interviews for each category, YACWA will assemble a small panel of previous winners of the WA Young Person of the Year Award to review the category winners’ responses to their questions in the interviews and determine the WA Young Person of the Year.
I’m having technical issues with my nomination. Who should I contact?
Get in touch with YACWA via yacwa@yacwa.org.au or by calling us at 9227 5440.
