Nominations for the Community Citizen of the Year Awards open across participating Western Australian local governments on 1 September 2026.

Run by Auspire – Australia Day Council WA and presented by participating local governments, the awards recognise people and groups who make significant contributions to their local communities.

For WA’s peer support community, this could be an opportunity to recognise someone whose contribution often happens quietly. It might be a facilitator or volunteer who has supported their community over many years, or a group that has created meaningful opportunities for people to connect.

Recognising local contribution

Contributions recognised through the awards can include voluntary service, health, advocacy, social inclusion, fundraising and other work that strengthens community life.

There is also an Active Citizenship group or event category, which recognises groups or events that create community engagement or initiatives that bring about positive change.

Auspire particularly encourages nominations for people and groups from diverse backgrounds.

Who can be nominated?

Individuals must be nominated by another person, as self-nominations are not accepted. Nominees should live or be active within the local government area where the nomination is submitted.

Groups can be nominated through the Active Citizenship group or event category.

Only one nomination is needed for someone to be considered. The number of nominations a person receives does not influence the selection process.

Your local government must also be participating in the awards program. You can check this when you begin the online nomination process.

Nominations open 1 September

Nominations are open from 1 September to 31 October 2026.

Auspire recommends providing detailed examples that show the nominee’s contribution. This might include volunteer work, community initiatives, advocacy, fundraising or other ways they have created positive change locally.

Supporting information, attachments and links can also be included.

Before submitting, you can also read the full eligibility and selection criteria on the Community Citizen of the Year Awards website.

For more community news and updates, keep checking back in on Alike WA’s Peer Support Hub.