Image credit: Nikki Woods | Nikki was the winner of the WA People’s Choice Award and won Highly Commended in the 2024 National Photography Award.
Every year, Australians face devastating losses caused by disasters and emergencies. The Resilient Australia Awards highlight initiatives that build resilience and inspire others to act – making communities safer, more connected and better prepared for disasters and emergencies.
The awards program celebrates Australian-wide initiatives that foster community resilience to natural disasters and emergencies such as bushfires, floods, and cyclones.
Call for nominations
The Resilient Australia Awards are an excellent opportunity to spark local and national conversations around risk, preparedness, resilience, and community recovery.
If you have a program or initiative that should be nationally recognised and promoted, consider nominating – winners from each state and territory will also be in the running for two National Awards.
Nominations can be made in written or video format until 11.59pm AEST on Friday 3 June 2025.
For more information and to nominate, visit the Resilient Australia Awards website.
About the Resilient Australia Awards
The Resilient Australia Awards have been celebrating community resilience for 26 years, capturing and sharing examples of resilience in action around Australia.
The awards recognise collaboration and progressive thinking across a broad range of sectors that strengthen disaster resilience. Innovative models and approaches that create sustainable change are highly regarded.
Past successful projects have been from across the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (PPRR) spectrum, including risk assessment and mitigation, mental health and wellbeing, education, training and research, community engagement, and response and recovery.
Submissions for the 2025 Resilient Australia Awards program must relate to projects or initiatives that commenced after 1 January 2023 or demonstrate significant outcomes or enhancements since 1 January 2023.
There are seven award categories to showcase efforts that enhance the community’s collective preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. Consider nominating projects or initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to building resilience and meet the eligibility criteria within the following categories:
- Community Award: communities, community-based or focussed organisations, and non-government organisations.
- Local Government Award: local governments and local government associations.
- Business Award: private sector and businesses, including tertiary colleges and universities.
- Government Award: State and Federal Government agencies.
- School Award: public and private preschool, primary, and secondary schools.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Award: projects focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of Australian communities, before, during, and after a disaster.
- Photography Award – People’s Choice: open to individuals and groups. Please note submissions require copyright holder’s permission.
If the project spans three or more states or territories, enter directly into the Resilient Australia National Award category.
For projects crossing two states or territories, choose a lead jurisdiction when entering.
Further information on the program structure and submission requirements are contained in the award guidelines.
The Resilient Australia Awards is proudly sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with the states and territories and managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR).
If you have further questions, please email info@semc.wa.gov.au.
