Awards and Judging Criteria

Categories and Judging Criteria

Regional and remote communities can nominate any worthwhile project for a state award.  Valid projects are those that have been initiated, maintained or completed between July 2022 and June 2023. Entrants can enter projects in one, or up to all eight awards, as follows:

          General Appearance

Community Action and Wellbeing

Heritage and Culture

Litter Prevention and Waste Management

Young Legends

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Education

Community Containers for Change 

General Appearance

Recognises improvements to a community’s general appearance including, but not restricted to, entries/approaches to town, business and retail areas, sporting areas, public parks and gardens, private homes and streets, including footpaths and verges.  Judges look for:

• A tidy and well-maintained town, including public parks and gardens, industry and business, streets, footpaths verges and median strips.
• Projects that have enhanced a streetscape
• Restoration of prominent buildings
• Water wise road side planting

 

Community Action and Wellbeing

This award recognises the achievements of a community in creating a healthy, vibrant community that has actively engaged groups from all sectors.  Judges look for:

• Sound working relationships between the community and local governments leading to successful outcomes. This should involve two way communication, relating to town management plans/strategies, maintenance and development of facilities.  
• Mutual support and promotion of community and government initiatives.  Successful community led initiatives across the category areas.
• Organised community clean-ups and ongoing litter management activities.
• Involvement of youth groups, schools and clubs in positive community management activities.
• Fauna and flora protection and/or rehabilitation activities initiated by the community.
• Community-led resource recovery, reuse and recycling activities.
• Cultural heritage celebrations/projects.
• Provision for an accessible community (visitor and tourist facilities, including toilets, picnic areas, shaded playgrounds, carparks and tourist information services). 

Imintji community on winning the Award

Heritage and Culture

Recognises a community’s outstanding commitment to the conservation and celebration of a community’s indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture. Judges look for:

• Successful outcomes from community/government strategies/initiatives designed to address preservation of cultural or natural history and culturally significant buildings and sites. 

• Development and/or implementation of innovative, community-based strategic or business plans relating to historic or cultural preservation and/or restoration.
• Research into and the protection, and where appropriate display, of culturally significant sites records and artefacts. 

 

Mount Magnet won the Heritage and Culture Award 2020

• Celebration, within and by the local community, of culturally significant events/traditions

Watch Dumbleyung's Bluebird K7 State winning project 2018.

Litter Prevention and Waste Management 

Recognises innovation and achievements in litter prevention, reducing and managing waste.  Judges look for:

• Adequate, accessible, visible litter and recycling bins in high traffic areas, commercial centres and public parks/areas.
• Cigarette butt disposal facilities in commercial centres and public parks/areas.
• Regular clean-up activities, including roadside clean-ups, by the community and/or local government.
• Litter-awareness signs.
• Integration of litter and waste management activities into a broader waste management strategy.
• Regular, competent community/regional litter audits to assist with preventative and education measures.
• Recovery and re-use of resources such as organics, green materials, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium, plastic, batteries, fluoro tubes and oil.
• Innovative use of recovered resources, (e.g. compost in local government services to the community).
• Integration of resource recovery, recycling and waste management activities into a broader waste management strategy.
• Litter and recycling education and awareness programs, literature and/or signage by local government, schools and/or community groups.

Young Legends

Recognises achievement by an individual or group/s of young people (under 25) who have contributed to the sustainability of their community.  Judges look for:

• Successful outcomes relating to the community arising from youth-initiated or youth-led environmental action.
• Demonstration of initiative, leadership and strength of character in taking action on behalf of a community.

Environmental Sustainability

Recognises an outstanding community’s achievements in adaptation to environmental change. Often through working in partnership with local government, industry and the wider public.  

Entrants can focus on one or all three sub-categories - Water, Energy and/or Nature Conservation.

Water

Recognises sustainable water management and education within communities which has innovative water conservation and/or water re-use initiatives.  Judges look for:

• Innovative design in water and waste water re-use projects and implementation of water sensitive urban design principles.
• Water minimisation practices and/or devices, e.g. automatic shut-off taps on public toilets and showers, evaporation protection measures, etc.
• Local government support for innovative community/industry projects, concepts, studies and/or research which focus on innovative water conservation and/or reuse initiatives. 

Energy

Recognises sustainable energy management and education which focuses on innovative energy efficiency measures.  Judges look for:

• Programs and partnerships which encourage community involvement in innovative strategies focussing  on renewable energy use, climate change issues.
• Energy minimisation practices and/or devices at public facilities, e.g. long-life light globes, solar-heated/powered public facilities or services, automatic light shut-off switches.

Nature Conservation

Programs which encourage community education and/or involvement in the planning, development and/or implementation of innovative strategies which focus on better community understanding, and environmental protection. Judges look for;

• Commitment to, or involvement in, community action programs such as Landcare, Coastcare, Bushcare and similar initiatives.
• Established local conservation and/or environment group(s).
• Practical conservation initiatives  and habitat management plans such as wildlife corridors.
• Feral animal management policies and plans.
• Weed eradication policies and programs.
• Projects addressing salinity and soil erosion.
• Read about Gnaraloo's station's projects.

Environmental Education

Recognises an outstanding initiative, organisation or community for its innovative environmental advocacy and or awareness program.  Sponsored by WALN, a further $500 prize money is given.

Watch Cowaramup Primary School, Environmental Education Award winner 2018 for their Catching Gold project.

This award is open to schools, tertiary institutions, childcare centres, councils and community groups. Judges look for;

• Education initiatives and awareness programs relating to sustainability, the environment and conservation.
• Innovative approaches to environmental education.
• Environmental education leading to empowerment, behaviour change, community/society improvements.
• Community/local government/industry encouragement of, and involvement in, youth activities, particularly welfare, health, environment and conservation activities.

Community Containers for Change

Sponsored by Western Australia Return Reuse Recycle (WARRRL), this award enables one community to be recognised for how their 10c refunds for eligible beverage containers has positively benefitted their community.  

• An initiative that has impacted the community.
• Schools, local councils, business, organisations or individual can lead the community 10c fund returns.
• Its not the amount of refunds that are assessed but the positive benefit to the community.