ACT Youth Justice Awards
Find out how to nominate a person or team. We present the awards on Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day in October.
About the awards
These awards recognise youth justice workers and highlight the work they do that often goes unseen. The awards are for anyone working with young people in the youth justice sector in the ACT.
We present the awards on Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day in October each year. The awards are run by the Australasian Youth Justice Administrators (AYJA).
There are two awards:
- The Exceptional Practice Award for individuals
- The Exceptional Practice Award for teams.
The theme for 2026 is Better Outcomes. Whoever you are. Wherever you are.
Better outcomes for young people in the youth justice system are driven by the dedication, professionalism, and insight of our staff.
Every day, across metropolitan, regional, and remote communities, staff work to understand and respond to the unique strengths, challenges, and aspirations of the young people, families/whānau, and communities they serve.
This year’s theme recognises the critical role staff play in delivering equitable and inclusive outcomes through place-based, community-informed approaches.
It highlights the importance of listening to lived experience, building strong local relationships, and tailoring responses that reflect the diversity of communities and address overrepresentation in meaningful ways.
Whoever they are. Wherever they are. Outcomes happen because of you.
Who you can nominate
Nominees for the individual and team award categories must:
- work in the ACT
- work in the youth justice sector or work closely with the youth justice sector
- work in a project, program or policy directly related to youth justice
- be endorsed by their current supervisor.
Nominees must not:
- be under investigation or disciplinary process
- be subject to a professional practice notification, restriction or limitation to practice.
You cannot nominate yourself for these awards.
Award categories
There are 2 award categories:
- The Exceptional Practice Award - Individual
- The Exceptional Practice Award - Team
The Exceptional Practice Awards recognise an individual or team who:
- shines as a youth justice practitioner, leader and colleague
- has shown consistent excellent performance that has been noticed
- has made an invaluable contribution to youth justice that has had far-reaching positive impacts for young people, their families and communities
- applies the AYJA Principles of Youth Justice in day-to-day practice.
The AYJA principles are listed on the nomination form.
This category is open to individuals who:
- inspire excellence among their colleagues and stakeholders and build community confidence in youth justice
- promote collaborative practice that supports and demonstrates positive outcomes for children and young people
- promote and share best practice in strengths-based approaches that focus on strengths, abilities, and potential
- act as a role model in championing diversity, inclusion, safety, and human rights in their day-to-day work
- champion cultural competence to ensure practice with young people, their families and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds is safe and responsive.
This category is open to a team that:
- inspires excellence among their colleagues and stakeholders and builds community confidence in youth justice
- promotes collaborative practice that supports and demonstrates positive outcomes for children and young people
- promotes and shares best practice in strengths-based approaches that focus on strengths, abilities, and potential
- acts as role models in championing diversity, inclusion, safety, and human rights in their day-to-day work
- champions cultural competence to ensure practice with young people, their families and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds is safe and responsive.
How to nominate
When the awards are open, fill out our form and email it to us to nominate a person or team. You can nominate more than one person, or more than one team. You will need to fill in a separate form for each person or team you nominate.
- Choose the award category.
- Complete the nomination form and save the document.
- Submit your nomination to the email address at the bottom of the nomination form - YouthJusticeWorkAllocation@act.gov.au
Nominations close at 5.00 pm on 18 September 2026.
Nominate now
Download the 2026 Youth Justice Awards Nomination Form [Word 188KB].
How we choose a winner
The nominations are assessed by a panel of senior youth justice professionals and leaders from the ACT Government.
The selection process is confidential and final.
The winners receive their awards at a ceremony on 13 October 2026, Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day.
The winners will go on to represent the ACT in the Australasian National Awards. The national awards on 1 December 2026 recognise youth justice workers across Australia and New Zealand.
About Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day
The theme for the 2025 Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day is Better Outcomes. Whoever you are. Wherever you are.
In 2026 Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day is 13 October.
We celebrate nominees and award winners on Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day each year in October.
Past winners
Award recipients from 2025:
- Belinda Garcia, Practitioner in the Intensive Adolescent Services in the Youth Justice and Adolescent Services branch, CYF – Exceptional Practice – Individual
- Recidivist Offender Multi-Agency Round Table – ROMART – Exceptional Practice – Team
Award recipients from 2024:
- Reeion Murray, Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Canberra Health Services – Exceptional Practice – Individual
- Bimberi Youth Workers – Bimberi Youth Justice Centre – Exceptional Practice – Team.