JUDGING
- Judging is conducted by a panel of experienced parks and leisure practitioners.
- Judges are asked to declare if a conflict of interest exists and if so are excluded from the judging of that submission.
- Judges may not be familiar with your organisations size, location, population and operating budgets, so if appropriate, include this information in responses so judges may put applications into context.
- Awards are judged in accordance with the award criteria.
- Should the respective judging panel believe that no nomination meets the criteria or standard of excellence required, it will not be obliged to confer the particular award.
- Regional winners are announced at a regional awards ceremony in your region.
- Regional winners automatically become national finalists.
- The national judging panel is comprised of 5 judges, one from each region for each of the 12 categories.
- National winners will announced at the Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 16th October, 2018.
- All decisions of the judging panel are final and no correspondence entered into.
Frank Stewart Distinguished Service Award
- Eligible submissions are judged by a panel of former Frank Stewart Award recipients, in accordance with the award criteria submitted.
- The winner is announced at the National Awards of Excellence
When assessing submissions, judges are looking for:
Major Event of the Year Award
- An event that is innovative, sustainable and clearly demonstrates the outcomes of its evaluation.
- The benefit it brings to the community or target market.
- The extent to which the event enhances social connection, participation and celebrates the community in which it is developed.
- Did the event meet its intent target (the main reason for why it was held)?
- Did the event meet its budget target, and if not, why not? What was the budget target?
- Did the event meet its attendance target, and if not, why not? What was the attendance target?What risk mitigation strategies did you put in place to ensure safety of participants, environment and volunteers?
- How have the sponsorship / partnerships enhanced the sustainability of the event?
Community Based Initiative of the Year Award
- The demonstrated outcomes the initiative achieved
- The impact the initiative had to bring the community together
- The extent to which the program celebrates access for all, equity and equality.
- Promotes the diversity and reflects the cultural and heritage of the community.
- Reduces the impact to the environment and promotes liveability.
Strategic Planning Award
- Demonstrates alignment to strategic drivers and initiatives.
- Demonstrates integrated planning: state, regional and or local
- Provide a high return on investment.
- Demonstrates your organisation has a better idea of how to allocate resources to align with goals.
- Planning projects which demonstrate that one of its objective is to enhance the community’s ability to respond to chronic and accurate shocks.
- Demonstrates the community engagement process used to endorse the strategy or strategic plan.
Community Facility of the Year Award
- Planning project that demonstrated good governance, project management and implementation which result in the development, redevelopment of changes to the facility.
- Promote good asset management.
- Demonstrate the value of the facility to the community.
- Reduces the impact to the environment and promotes sound economic operation and promotes inclusive practices.
- Articulates the role of the facility within the community and the region.
Park of the Year Award
- Promote the benefits and the role it plays within the green network.
- Demonstrates measures taken to enhance biodiversity, habitat collocation, liveability and its ability to reduce temperatures, connect and celebrate the communities culture and heritage.
- Articulates the role of the Park within the community and the region.
- Demonstrates the role it plays to foster and build community engagement
- Describe the special features or element which resolves or responds to a problem within the park.
Play Space Award - Both Categories
- Is the developed in accordance to the Local Government’s Play Space Strategy and or Open Space Strategy
- Demonstrates the development of an asset management and replacement plan
- The extent to which the play space features are intergenerational
- The extent to which the play space enhances the economic, environmental and social benefits to the region
- What value does it bring to the community, demonstrate how it challenges learning, scenery and development outcomes
- Describe how it is integrated within its surrounding environment
- What partnership were developed and the outcomes of the evaluation process
Best Rural Industry Contribution
- Describe how the initiative addressed any social, cultural, heritage, environmental or economic issues
- Describe any innovative approaches
- Barriers and difficulties and how they have been overcome
- Highlight the community members which supported and benefited from the initiative
- Contribution to lasting solutions and sustainability
- Demonstrate achievements and the community and industry benefits
Research Award
- Demonstrate the methods used to develop the research
- Does the research address a specific issue within the parks and leisure industry
- Is the research of independent thought
- Can the research be applied to current parks and leisure operations throughout Australia
- Authorship or co-authorship of peer-reviewed published materials such as journal articles, articles in conference proceedings, monographs, books, book chapters, artistic works, software development, or other professional and technical documents
- At least one, but no more than three, external letters of support should be included in the materials submitted for consideration. External letters of support provide judges with helpful insights about the contribution of the research accomplishments to the industry and society.
Best Use of Technology Award
- Describe technology application and why it stands out as award worthy
- Is the technology new and accessible to the parks and leisure industry?
- Demonstrate the extent to which is fulfils a gap within the industry
- How does it promote efficiencies, impacts on resources and ease of application?
- The extent to which the technology is innovative and or improves the practice/progresses within the industry
- What is its return on investment?
- Why you have used the selected technology?
