About
Auspire – Australia Day Council WA is the organisation responsible for running the Community Citizen of the Year Awards. These prestigious awards are presented by Local Governments across Western Australia with His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Governor of Western Australia and Mrs Darrilyn Dawson serving as Joint Patrons of Auspire.
The awards seek to recognise outstanding individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to their local communities during the past year, or those who have given exceptional service over a sustained period.
These contributions can take many forms, including but not limited to education, health, fundraising, voluntary services, business, employment, sport, arts, environment, social inclusion, or any other area that contributes to the betterment of the community.
We particularly encourage people and groups from diverse backgrounds to consider submitting a nomination.
How it works
For Local Government Authorities (LGAs)
To participate in the Community Citizen of the Year Awards Program, your Local Government Authority must be a Gold Member of Auspire – Australia Day Council WA. Once the annual subscription fee is paid and your council is confirmed as a Gold Member, the online nomination portal will be activated for your council and the public will be able to nominate members or groups from your community.
To confirm if your council is participating, please go to the nominations page and select your Local Government area from the drop-down menu. If you get a message informing you that your council is not participating, we encourage you register as a Gold Member here.
All nominations received before the close-off date are automatically sent to the relevant Local Council for consideration and selection. All selections are made at each local council’s discretion then communicated to Auspire to arrange for the certificates and medallions prior to the council’s Award Ceremony.
Nominations open on 1 September and close on 31 October each year.
Nominations received after the closing date will be ineligible for consideration but may be held over for the following year’s campaign at the local council’s discretion.
Key Dates for LGAs
- 1 July – 31 August: Councils confirm Gold Membership status with Auspire
- 1 September: Nominations Open
- 31 October: Nominations Close
- November – December: Shortlisting and Selections (by local council selection panels)
- January: Presentation of the Awards at local events
For Nominators and the General Public
Anyone wishing to nominate can do by completing the nomination form in the Nominate tab. You are encouraged to look at the selection and eligibility criteria on the website and try to address them when completing the form. The more detailed information is provided, the better. This will help the councils and their selection panels have as much information as possible when deliberating their decisions.
The information provided may include specific examples of volunteer work – including establishing or running community initiatives – charity fundraising, advocacy efforts, or other ways in which the nominee has positively impacted the community. Be sure to highlight any unique or innovative approaches they have taken to address community needs or challenges. You may also include attachments or links to support your nomination.
The nominee must reside or work primarily within the jurisdiction of the local council for which you are submitting the nomination. If you do not have the exact address, you may provide the state, city, and postcode to help us verify that the nominee is in the correct Local Government area.
To check if a council is participating in the Community Citizen of the Year Awards, go to the Nominate page and choose the council from the dropdown menu. If they are running the Program, you will be able to fill out the rest of the form. If they are not running the Program, a message will appear informing you that they are not running it and you will not be able to complete the rest of the form.
In the latter case, we encourage you to contact your local council and suggest they may wish to join the Awards Program.
Nominations open on 1 September and close on 31 October every year with the announcements of the recipients made by each council in or around January of the following year.
