Do you know someone who is worthy of recognition for contribution to the Australian Aid and Development Sector? Do you want their accomplishments to be celebrated at our 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM)? ACFID is now seeking nominations for our three ACFID 2021 Awards: the ACFID Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award, the ACFID Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award, and the ACFID Media Award.

A highlight of the 2021 ACFID AGM will be the presentation of our three major annual ACFID Awards as nominated by our Members and Australia’s media sector. These awards provide an important opportunity to recognise the achievements of those who have made a significant impact and difference.

Nominations are now open.

Details on the individual awards, nomination and selection process are detailed below. Nominations for each category close on Friday, 22 October 2021 and the award recipients will be invited to virtually accept their award at ACFID’s 2021 AGM, held online on the 8th of November 2021.

The Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award

The Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award is presented to an individual or organisation that:

• Has made an outstanding contribution to advancing human rights in the international development sector.
• Recognises voluntarism and looks for contribution above and beyond paid employment.

The most recent Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award was presented in 2019 to human rights lawyer and West Papua activist, Veronica Koman, who has been instrumental in highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses committed by Indonesia in West Papua.

We invite ACFID Members to submit a nomination for the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award via the 2021 Awards Nomination Form 2021 Awards Nomination Form. The recipient of this Award will be selected by the ACFID Board. Nominations close 22 October 2021.

Completed forms should be emailed to Freya Whereat at [email protected] by 22 October 2021. For more information, please contact Freya on 02 8123 2228.

The Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award

The Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award is presented to an individual or organisation that:

• Has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian aid and development NGO sector over an extended period of time.
• Has made a substantial and sustained contribution to the whole sector – more than only within their own agency
• Recognises voluntarism and looks for contribution above and beyond paid employment.

The last Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award, was given in 2019 to Nigel Spence, Chief Executive Officer of Childfund Australia, for his commitment, enthusiasm, and tireless advocacy for children for over four decades.

We invite ACFID Members to submit a nomination for the Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award via the 2021 Awards Nomination Form. The recipient of this Award will be selected by the ACFID Board. Nominations close 22 October 2021.

Completed forms should be emailed to Freya Whereat at [email protected] by 22 October 2021. For more information, please contact Freya on 02 8123 2228.

ACFID Media Award

The ACFID Media Award aims to promote and recognise the work of Australian journalists delivering informed and studied media items about international development and/or humanitarian issues.

The Award will be presented to an Australian journalist or journalistic team that has produced a single piece or series that:

• profiles with sensitivity and respect the issues and lives of people experiencing poverty and injustice
• shows an understanding of the complexity of humanitarian and/or development issues, and
• is judged to have the potential to help expand the knowledge of the Australian public in relation to humanitarian and/or international development issues.

The last ACFID Media Award was awarded in 2019 to Senior Economics Writer at the Sydney Morning Herald, Matt Wade, and photojournalist Louise Kennerly for their piece ‘Right on our doorstep’: Papua New Guinea’s health crises hit home’. In 2018, the Australian’s South East Asia correspondent, Amanda Hodge, won the award for her coverage of the Rohingya crisis and her piece: ‘A mother’s wish: let Allah take him’.

Nominations may be made for print, radio, TV or online journalists who have demonstrated exceptional understanding of the complexity of international development or humanitarian issues through a single media item or series in the past financial year (1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021).

Nominations will be accepted from individuals and organisations that are ACFID members or from Australian journalists and will close on 22 October 2021. Nominees must be Australian and currently working in the field of journalism.

We invite Australian journalists and staff at ACFID Member Organisations to submit nominations through the ACFID Media Award Nomination Form. Please note, media items profiling a single aid and development organisation only will not be considered by the selection panel.

The selection panel will be made up of representatives from the media and NGO sectors.

Completed forms should be emailed to Tim Watkin at [email protected] by 22 October 2021.