Award Programs

The Australian Training Awards are the peak national awards that showcase best practice in vocational education and training (VET).  The Awards recognise and celebrate excellence and are an important mechanism for promoting the benefits of VET.

Winners from each state and territory training awards compete for a national award title. Direct entry is also available for some award categories.

Categories include:

Individual

• The Outstanding Achievement in the VET and Skills Sector Award (Direct Entry)
• Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Vocational Student of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Trainee of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Apprentice of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award (Direct Entry)

Business

• Small Employer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Large Employer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award (Direct Entry)
• Industry Collaboration Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Innovation in VET Award (Direct Entry)

Registered Training Organisation

• Small Training Provider of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Large Training Provider of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• School Pathways to VET Award (Direct Entry)

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.

Awards are presented in the following categories:

• Young Volunteer of the Year
• Adult Volunteer of the Year
• Senior Volunteer of the Year
• Volunteer Team of the Year
• Emergency Volunteer of the Year
• Volunteer Leader of the Year
• Not-for-Profit Voluntary Governance Award

The award recognises research in the physical and biological sciences, allowing interdisciplinary and sociocultural research that could straddle the social sciences and humanities, by outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PhD students and early- and mid-career scientists. It aims to support their research and/or the expansion and growth of their research networks and international knowledge exchange through visits to relevant international centres of research.

Awards will be for up to $20,000, with additional support provided to attend the Academy's biennial Science at the Shine Dome event.

If your organisation has made a positive difference to the health, safety and wellbeing of its stakeholders, you are encouraged to recognise this achievement at Australia’s leading health and safety awards platform. Regardless of whether your safety initiative is big or small, if it has led to continuous improvement in performance, we want to hear about it. With ten categories for which to submit nominations there is a category for everyone.

The awards are open to any Australian operating business, organisation, alliance or individual in the public or private sector, with a workplace health and safety initiative that complies with one of the ten categories:

• Best Continuous Improvement of a WHS Management System
• Best Solution of a WHS Risk (Small to Medium Business: 1 - 199 employees)
• Best Solution of a WHS Risk (LARGE Business: 200+ employees)
• Best WHS Training Program
• Best Communication of a Safety Message
• Ian Chisholm Award for Best Individual WHS Achievement
• Best Safety Leadership Program/Initiative
• Best Health & Wellbeing Program
• Best Return & Recovery at Work System
• Best Solution for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work
• Best WHS Commercial Product or Service Innovation
• Best Safety Team

Pinnacle Award - Award for Excellance in WHS

The Landcare Awards honour individuals, groups and organisations that are making outstanding contributions to caring for the environment in their local communities for the benefit of all Australians today, and for generations to come.

In each state and territory, the Landcare Awards will be granted to recognise the achievements that encompass climate action, environmental leadership, sustainable agriculture, First Nations Peoples, women in landcare, youth, Coastcare and children.

Nominating is free. You can nominate yourself, or you can nominate someone you know who should be recognised for their work to restore, enhance and protect the natural environment in their community. 

Nominating is easy. If you know an individual, group or organisation in your community making a difference to the environment and sustainable land or water use, nominate them for a Landcare Award.

The winners of the nine national Landcare Award categories in each State or Territory will advance as finalists to the 2027 National Landcare Awards.

The Ethnic Business Awards (EBA’s) recognise the outstanding accomplishments of Migrant and Indigenous entrepreneurs. They highlight the contribution made to Australia by these people. As Australia’s longest running business awards, these awards are the most prestigious of their kind.

Indigenous Award
The first of it’s kind. Launched in 2010 the EBA recognises excellence in business endeavours by Indigenous entrepreneurs. The award is open to businesses of all sizes and in the last decade has brought much attention to the growing number of creative, diverse and inspiring Indigenous business men and women.

Migrant Awards
The Migrant awards are open anyone born outside of Australia. There are two categories for the Migrant awards.

• Medium to Large Migrant Business Category (turnover greater than $10 million per annum)

• Small Migrant Business Category (turnover less than $10 million per annum)

Our communities are full of upstanding individuals from volunteers to local sporting heroes to community legends, future leaders and eco-warriors who merit the recognition for their work in our communities and regions.

Residents of NSW are encouraged to keep a look out and nominate remarkable community members of all ages for a NSW Local Citizen of the Year Award in the following categories:

• Citizen of the Year
• Young Citizen of the Year
• Sportsperson of the Year
• Environmental Citizen of the Year
• Young Environmental Citizen of the Year
• Australia Day Award

The NSW Local Citizen of the Year Awards have been a part of the Australia Day in NSW program since 2005, with many Local Government Areas (LGAs) embracing the program to celebrate outstanding citizens and unsung heroes across the state.

Each year award presentations are incorporated into the local council's Australia Day Program with certificates presented by Mayor's and Australia Day Ambassadors.