Get nominating for the 2020 Geelong Youth Awards

GREATER Geelong’s inspiring young leaders will be celebrated in the 2020 Geelong Youth Awards this July, with nominations now open for people aged 12-25.

The Geelong Youth Awards seek to acknowledge young people who have made or who are making noteworthy contributions in areas including leadership, equality, inclusion, diversity, education and the arts.

An initiative of the City of Greater Geelong and its Youth Council, the six awards are:

• The Young Educator award recognises a young person’s contribution and achievement across all forms of education and community development

• The Equality award recognises the effort of a young person who strives to make change and advocates for equality among young people

• The Leadership Award recognises a young person who has demonstrated leadership within their community through school, work or other contributions and is a role model for others to follow

• The Disability Inclusion Award recognises a young person who has worked towards making the Geelong community more accessible and inclusive for people with a lived experience of disability

• The Diverse Cultural Contribution Award recognises a young person who has contributed to creating a vibrant and diverse cultural community

• The Arts and Music Award recognises a young person who has demonstrated hard work, creativity and passion in their art and engaged the community through visual arts, music, writing, sculpture, play or film.

Torquay composer Callum Watson won the Geelong Youth Award for Arts and Music in 2019 for his efforts in bringing jazz back to the city’s streets, and was gifted $500 to put towards developing Geelong Jazz Soirées.

The 2020 award winners will receive a personal trophy and double last year’s prize earnings ($1,000 each) to support their ongoing interests and education.

Geelong’s junior mayor Farzana Hussaini said the Youth Council encouraged people to nominate a young person who is “making a difference” for an award.

“It’s vital that we recognise and reward the hard work that young people do in our clever and creative community. The Geelong Youth Council are proud of the inspiring work that our region’s young people are doing,” she said.

Know a young person who could be a strong candidate for any of the six gongs? Head to the nomination form via geelongaustralia.com.au to place them in the running.

Nominations close on June 19 and winners will be announced digitally on July 24.