Application Deadline: August 31st 2015
Do you know a young person making a positive difference in your community or country?
Nominations are open for the 2016 Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work. These awards recognise inspiring young people whose development work has had a significant impact on people and communities in their country or region.
Young people aged 15 to 29 years can apply for the awards, which celebrate the achievements of those who lead initiatives to enhance democracy and development, from poverty alleviation to climate change, to peace building.
Criteria for nomination
Individuals are able to nominate themselves or can be nominated by someone who is able to vouch for the legitimacy of the nominee’s development work. The nominee must meet the following criteria:
- The nominee must have been engaged in their development work for more than 12 months either in a professional or voluntary capacity
- The nominee must be from a Commonwealth member country
- The development work must be ongoing and in a Commonwealth member country
- The nominee should not be older than 29 on 31 December 2016
- Nominees should give permission for their names to be put forward (if nominated by someone else).
- Award winners and finalists must agree to take part in publicity and activities generated by the Commonwealth.
- The development work can be within any number of areas, including agriculture, skills training, arts and culture, environment protection, education, health and well-being, human rights, information and communications technology, journalism and many more areas including sport, science and sustainability.
Benefits:
- A winner will be selected from each region, and invited to London, United Kingdom, in early 2016 for a formal awards presentation.
- In addition to four regional award winners, one exceptional entrant will be recognised as Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2016 for Excellence in Development Work.
- The finalists will receive cash grants of GBP£1,000 to continue their development work, and will each be awarded a trophy and certificate.
- Each regional winner will receive a cash grant of GBP£3,000, while the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year will receive GBP£5,000 to support an ongoing project or initiative.
Nomination Process:
Complete the online nomination form to submit a nomination.
You will be required to provide:
- Details about yourself
- Details about the person you are nominating (if nominating someone)
- The reasons you think the nominee (or you, if you are nominating yourself) deserves to win
- A description of the development work and how it makes a positive difference to the lives of others.
Awards will be decided on the basis of:
- Quality of impact
- Level of innovation/fresh approaches to problem-solving
- Quality of achievement
- Quality of the evidence provided
- Sustainability: building capacity of future generations to meet their own needs.