Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday 27 May at 4:00pm (AEST).

No, there is no fee for submitting a nomination.

If you are unable to complete a nomination online, there is an option for the nomination to be done using a PDF form. This can be provided by email, or if further assistance is required it can be completed over the phone with a Volunteering Victoria staff member.

Please contact [email protected] if you need assistance in submitting a nomination.

No, individuals cannot nominate themselves. A member of a community organisation may nominate their own organisation, however the nominator and the organisation’s primary contact cannot be the same person.

Yes, a member of a community organisation may nominate their own organisation. However the nominator and the organisation’s primary contact cannot be the same person.

No. Individual nominees must be living Australian residents (temporary or permanent), currently residing in Victoria and have undertaken voluntary work or activities in Victoria. Organisation nominees must be an incorporated not-for-profit entity that has operations in Victoria.

Groups of volunteers are not eligible to be nominated for the Individual award categories. If you have a group of volunteers you would like to recognise, you may wish to consider the Organisation categories to acknowledge their collective contributions.

Yes, by submitting a nomination you confirm that the person or organisation has agreed to be nominated.

You can submit as many nominations for individuals or organisations as you like. This includes submitting nominations in multiple categories if you feel the nominee’s efforts strongly align with more than one.

Please note: A separate nomination form will need to be completed for each category.

If doing so, we recommend tailoring the responses to show how the individual or organisation meets the specific criteria for each category.

No. Once you have started a nomination, you will be able to save your progress and complete at a later date if required. However, incomplete entries will not be assessed once nominations have closed.

No, once you have submitted the nomination you will not be able to make any edits. If you require any changes, please contact us at [email protected] for assistance.

The Letter of Support can be provided by anyone with a direct connection to the organisation. This might include a staff member, volunteer, board member, or senior leader such as the CEO.

If the nominator is part of the organisation, they can also provide the Letter of Support themselves.

You can download a Letter of Support template [here].

If you’re having trouble signing in to Award Force, resetting your password can be done in just a few simple steps:

1. Enter your email address at https://volunteeringvictoria.awardsplatform.com/
2. Click ‘Forgot Password’
3. Follow the prompts and click ‘Send’

Within minutes, a one-click login link will arrive in your email inbox. This link will expire after two hours and can only be used once. If you don’t receive an email, please check your junk or spam folder.

Each nomination is reviewed by Volunteering Victoria staff to confirm it is eligible.

A judging panel will consider all eligible nominations and rate each against the description for the selected Award category. Nominations with the highest combined scores will be shortlisted.

The Volunteer of the Year and Organisation of the Year are chosen from the pool of nominees across the individual and organisation award categories.

When you submit a nomination, your nominee is automatically considered for the relevant overall award. Separate nominations are not required or accepted.

Awards will be presented at an official ceremony in October 2026 in Melbourne. Full details will be shared with shortlisted nominators and recipients.