The Allan Labor Government has opened nominations for the 2025 Victorian Volunteer Awards, inviting the public to recognise the individuals and groups whose quiet contributions often hold communities together.
Volunteering sits at the centre of Victoria’s civic life, spanning everything from food relief and first aid to environmental clean-ups and grassroots education. This year’s call-out follows a record 499 nominations in 2024, a figure officials hope to top as they look to spotlight more of the personal stories that define the state’s volunteer spirit.
The awards, held in partnership with Volunteering Victoria, are divided into eight categories. On the individual front, awards will be given for youth involvement, long-term dedication, leadership, and measurable community impact. One of the individual winners will also receive the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Award for Volunteer of the Year—along with a $10,000 donation to a charity or not-for-profit organisation of their choice.
Organisations, too, are eligible across four key categories: Inclusive Volunteering, Grassroots Volunteering, Innovation, and Partnerships. From these, a single recipient will be chosen for the Volunteering Excellence Award.
Minister for Carers and Volunteers Ros Spence said the awards are an opportunity to honour everyday people doing extraordinary things. “Volunteers are the backbone of our communities—from cooking meals to supporting animal welfare, providing training, and much, much more,” she said. “They deserve to be recognised for their remarkable efforts.”
Volunteering Victoria Chief Executive Geoff Sharp added that the awards offer a chance to thank the thousands who give up their time each week to support others. “Strong communities don’t happen by chance—they’re built by people who care, who give their time, and who lift others up,” he said.
The awards come at a time when volunteer engagement is undergoing a shift. While COVID-19 disrupted many established volunteer programs, it also led to a surge in more localised, informal volunteering. According to recent data from Volunteering Australia, over 5 million Australians volunteered in some capacity in 2023—though this remains below pre-pandemic levels. Governments and community organisations have since placed renewed focus on reactivating and diversifying volunteer pipelines, with tailored outreach to culturally diverse, youth, and regional populations.
Victoria, with its expanding population and rising cost-of-living pressures, has seen growing reliance on volunteer-led initiatives—particularly in areas like food security, aged care support, and sporting clubs. Programs offering language assistance, transport for elderly residents, or bushfire response have all depended heavily on unpaid labour.
The awards aim not just to acknowledge well-established efforts but also to spotlight emerging models of community service, including tech-enabled volunteering and hybrid online/offline initiatives. Last year’s winners included a youth-run digital inclusion group in Ballarat and a refugee-led education project in Dandenong.
Nominations are open to the public, and organisers have encouraged schools, workplaces, and community groups to submit names of individuals or organisations whose actions—however small—are shaping the social fabric of their neighbourhoods.
To nominate someone or learn more about the categories, visit volunteeringvictoria.org.au/awards. Entries close later this year, with the winners to be honoured at a state ceremony.
Do you have someone in your community who shows up without asking for praise? This might be the year to give them their due.
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