Commonwealth Youth Awards 2018

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work 2018 aim to raise the profile of young people and highlight the contribution they are making towards developing a fairer, sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future for the Commonwealth. This special edition of the awards will coincide with the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) preceding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, April, 2018 under the theme “Towards a Common Future” and will highlight the contribution that young people are making throughout the Commonwealth, in areas such as poverty alleviation, conflict resolution and prevention, democracy and environmental preservation. The Commonwealth Youth Awards give international, regional and national recognition and support to those young men and women who have demonstrated young peoples capacity and potential to make positive contributions to their communities, nations and the world at large. Young people are not passive beneficiaries of development and spectators to programmes and of policies that affect their development, but rather are integrally involved in the process of change as they continue to work side by side with decision makers as key actors and stakeholders contributing to national development.

The young people who will receive this award should demonstrate measurable/tangible impact through their development work.

The main Objectives of the Commonwealth Youth Awards are to:-

• Highlight the contribution young people are making to promote the common goal of a future built on fairness, peace, prosperity and sustainability and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
• Acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by young people to overall development and democracy goals in the Commonwealth;
• Create an environment which will encourage and sustain investments in youth led development;
• Illustrate the depth and breadth of talent, commitment and creativity that exists among young people across the Commonwealth by highlighting nominees’ success stories;
• Motivate, encourage and challenge young people (aged 15-29) to set high standards for their work/service at community, national, regional or international levels;

Nomination Requirements

• The nominee must have been engaged in development work for more than 12 months, either in a professional or voluntary capacity;
• The nominee must be a Commonwealth citizen and the development work must be taking place in a Commonwealth member country;
• The nominee should not be older than 29 on 31 December 2017;
• Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone who can accurately describe their development work ++
• The winners must agree to take part in publicity generated by the Commonwealth.

Awards will be decided on the basis of:

1. Level of Impact;
2. Level of innovation/fresh approaches to problem solving;
3. Quality of achievement;
4. Quality of the evidence provided.
5. Sustainability

Awards Process

There will be four finalists per Commonwealth region with the top entry receiving the Regional Winner Award and the top regional winner receiving the Pan Commonwealth Award and to be named the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2018.

The 16 Regional finalists will each receive a £1,000 grant, a trophy and a certificate.

The 4 Regional Winners will receive an additional £2,000 (a total of £3,000) a trophy and a certificate

The Pan Commonwealth Winner will receive an additional £2000 (a total of £5,000) a trophy and a certificate.

The 4 Regional Winners will be invited to receive their awards at an official ceremony in London, United Kingdom during the Commonwealth Youth Forum, 16-18 April 2018.

Official Link

Deadline: 14th December, 2017