2024 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards

About the Awards

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are an annual program aimed at recognising the incredible dedication, effort and community service of our state’s volunteers, volunteer leaders and volunteer teams. 

The Awards program has grown to become one of the largest celebrations of volunteering in Australia. Last year, more than 133,000 nominees from over 500 organisations were recognised at Regional and State Ceremonies. We received special messages of support from the Prime Minister, the Premier and the Governor of NSW. 

Nominations

Eligible Nominees

All nominees must: 

• Reside in NSW, and be involved in volunteering as either a volunteer or a Leader of Volunteers. Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain. 
• Individuals must have been involved during the previous 12 months (July 2023-June 2024) with a legitimate not-for-profit organisation, community group, or other entity which engages volunteers in a safe and legal manner, such as schools or government agencies. 

Award Categories

There are 8 categories for the Awards. These include:

*Volunteering Australia 2015, Volunteering Australia Project: The Review of the Definition of Volunteering.

How to Nominate

The nomination form allows for two types of recognition for the volunteers of NSW. 

Nomination for Recognition  

This is the simplest way to acknowledge volunteers.  These nominations will not be judged; however, the nominee will be invited to their local regional ceremony (if their personal email address is provided, not the organisation’s or nominator’s email address).  The nominee will be presented with a certificate to acknowledge their contribution to the community.  This nomination requires you to complete four parts of the nomination form only. 

Nomination for Judging 

These nominees will be judged for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards in their appropriate category.  This nomination requires nominators to complete six parts (parts 1 to 6), all of which must be completed to be accepted by the judging committee. 

Nomination Guidelines

Individuals or teams can be nominated in the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.   

All volunteers in the Recognition stream will be acknowledged with a certificate at one of 25 regional ceremonies where we celebrate their contribution to their local community.  Four parts of the nomination form must be completed to be eligible for this stream.   

You can also nominate volunteers or volunteer teams for inclusion in the final judging for a Regional and State Volunteer of the Year Award. This nomination requires you to complete six parts of the nomination form (three extra questions).  All parts must be completed to be accepted by the Judging Committee.     

Volunteers and Volunteer Leaders and managers are not permitted to nominate themselves.     

All nominators must have permission to disclose the personal information of the person or team you are nominating. 

Please read the Nomination Guidelines before completing your award entry.

Nominations close 5pm Friday 14 June 2024

All nominators should read the Information for Nominators Document prior to completing the nomination forms.

Nominees and/or referees will be contacted directly by the Awards Team to verify information if required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Supporters

The Centre for Volunteering would like to the thank the generosity of the following organisations for their ongoing support of the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards: