Join us in celebrating the hard work and achievements of the environment community over the past year with the ACT Environment Awards 2023 – Nominations are now open!

There are many ways to create positive change in the world. Everyone is encouraged to apply, with a diversity of experiences and achievements welcomed and recognised. This year we will be presenting three different awards – the Environmental Protection Award, the Moira and John Rowland Award for Young Environmental Achievement and the Working Together Award. Please find the nomination criteria and details for each award below.

Application Process 

Applications are accepted via a google form. The form will ask for contact details and short written paragraphs responding to the selection criteria. There are three short answer responses of 200 words or less to the following questions:

1. Tell us about the nominee/s
2. What was the body of work?
3. How has it contributed?

Consider the criteria when responding. 

There are many ways to create positive change in the world. Everyone is encouraged to apply, with a diversity of experiences and achievements welcomed and recognised. 

We recommend you draft your answers before starting the form and copy-paste it, to avoid losing your work.

Please remember when submitting your nomination that the judges will be basing their decision on the information you submit. You can nominate yourself or someone else, and you are welcome to make multiple nominations.

Environmental Protection Award

The award is to go to an individual or group of individuals living in the ACT region who, in the past 18 months, have made an outstanding contribution to protecting the region’s nature, including contributions towards a safe climate future. 

Special consideration will be given to nominees who have had to contend with significant government, political, corporate, media or institutional prejudice in their efforts to mobilise public opinion to protect the environment.

The Award is to recognise the efforts of the recipient(s) to contribute to the protection of the environment.

Moira and John Rowland Award for Young Environmental Achievement

This annual award is in memory of Moira and John Rowland who were lifelong committed environmentalists and played a lead role in establishing the Canberra Environment Centre and the Conservation Council ACT Region. The Moira and John Rowland Young Environmentalist Award recognises young achievers committed to improving our environment.

The Award is to go to an individual or group of individuals aged 28 or younger,  living in the ACT region who, in the past 12 months, has made an outstanding contribution to protecting nature, including contributions towards a safe climate future. 

Achievements of all kinds are welcomed and may be through community campaigns, volunteering, political advocacy, events, research or science.

Working Together Award

At the heart of many successful environmental programs to protect nature or create a safe climate future are community groups.  These groups help us work together to address environmental issues too large for an individual to tackle.

Problems are not always solved quickly but the opportunity to build momentum through people working together is what we are looking to profile.

Group or organisation that is working on a program for the environment that has achieved significant results in the past 12 months. The project may not be at a point of ultimate success but there has been a measurable milestone along the way.

Show how the group has achieved success itself or has mobilised and supported others to achieve success.