In celebration of young people’s contributions toward achieving global development goals, the Commonwealth Youth Awards will offer successful candidates international recognition and cash prizes.
Nominations are now open for the 2022 Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work.
The event aims to recognize individuals aged 15-29 who lead innovative development projects in themes that include agriculture, small enterprise, skills training, climate change, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and poverty reduction.
All Commonwealth countries and territories are welcome to apply.
Application Deadline: October 17, 2021
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Check out the past Commonwealth Youth Awards event here:
Commonwealth Youth Awards Prizes
The jury for the Commonwealth Youth Awards will shortlist 20 finalists, who will each receive a trophy, a certificate, and £1,000 in cash.
From them, five regional award recipients will be chosen and will receive an additional £2,000.
One of the regional award recipients will be given further recognition as Commonwealth Young Person of the Year and earn an additional £2,000, going home with a total cash prize of £5,000.
The selected winner of the QCT prizes will receive two years of flexible funding at £20,000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organizational development support.
To mark the celebration next year of the Platinum Jubilee of the Head of the Commonwealth Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) has joined as a partner to offer to a selected applicant two years of flexible funding of £20, 000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organizational development support.
The finalists and regional winners will be announced during Commonwealth Week in March 2022.
About the Commonwealth Youth Awards
The Commonwealth Youth Awards aims to celebrate the outstanding contributions by young people delivering development and progress in Commonwealth countries and communities towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC said that the COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in social and economic crises which are severely affecting young people and have far-reaching consequences for their lives and future careers.
Announcing the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Youth Awards on International Youth Day, the secretary-general added that even in these times of such uncertainty and upheaval, we are inspired by young people whose imagination and leadership is helping to mobilize positive responses so that our nations and communities can build back better and with greater resilience.
“The awards are a golden opportunity for these heroes, and those who work with them, admire them or benefit from what they are doing, to put forward their innovations and initiatives for recognition by the Commonwealth and to bring them to global attention,” Scotland continued.
“By sharing their inspiring example far more widely, we and many millions of people of all ages worldwide will learn about new and practical ways to deliver a safer, fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable future for all,” she concluded.
Eligibility Criteria
Young people from the 54 Commonwealth countries can enter five regional categories: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, and the Pacific.
An independent Pan-Commonwealth jury will judge the nominations based on their impact, sustainability, and innovation.
Participants who will engage in the Commonwealth Youth Awards should demonstrate measurable/tangible impact through their development work.
To submit an entry, an applicant must be:
- a Commonwealth citizen;
- between the age of 15 to 29 years; and
- have been engaged in development work for at least 12 months as a professional or volunteer.
Nominees must show a strong track record of implementing impactful development work which contributes to at least one of the 17 SDGs.
To be eligible for the additional QCT prizes, applicants must be aged 18 to 29 years old, and the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise.
How to Apply
Submit your nomination on the awards platform.
Awards will be decided on the basis of:
- Level of impact;
- Level of innovation/fresh approaches to problem solving;
- Quality of achievement;
- Quality of the evidence provided; and
- Sustainability.
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