The 2024 WA Mental Health Award categories:


Conditions of nominations:

  •  Self-nominations are welcomed for the following categories only:  
    Innovation for Service Delivery  
    Prevention or Promotion  
    Diversity and Inclusion 
    Mental Health Education 
    Mentally Healthy Workplace 
    New and Media  
  • Nominees must be currently based in Western Australia (WA) and applications must be based on initiatives and work that have supported mental health in WA. 
  • There is no cost to submit a nomination(s). 
  • All nominations must reflect initiatives, projects or work that took place during the 2023 calendar (January-December 2023). 
  • If you are nominating an individual other than yourself, you must seek their approval prior to submitting the nomination. 
  • If nomination does not adhere to the word count on the question, it will not be submitted to the judging panel. 
  • If the nominee is under 18 years of age, permission must be sought from a parents or guardian prior to submitting the nomination.  
  • Category partners may not nominate for the category they are sponsoring but can nominate for any other category. 
  • All nominations must be received by the closing dates.  
  • All finalists are expected to attend the Awards Gala in November 2024. 
  • WAAMH has the authority to extend the nomination deadline where appropriate. 

Tips for preparing your nomination:  

  • Tell the judges how your nominee goes above and beyond to benefit community mental health outside of normal duties, work tasks, volunteering or advocacy.  
  • The finalists and winners will be based on merit.  
  • Use real examples that can be easily understood.  
  • Avoid using acronyms or language that the judges might not understand.  
  • Before submitting, check your whole nomination form again, especially that contact names, phone numbers and email addresses are all correct.  
  • When uploading any supporting documents, please ensure the information is relevant to the application. 

Finalists will be announced during WA Mental Health Week (5-12 October).

Minister's Award

Presented by the Minister for Mental Health the Hon. Amber-Jade Sanderson

This award is to celebrate an overall outstanding contribution to mental health in WA.  

The Minister’s Award recognises a person who has displayed best practice in the mental health sector in the 2023 calendar year.  The nominee has had a positive impact working with people living with mental health challenges in our community, including their families and carers.  

Nominations for this award are open to any employee, leader, volunteer, advocate or person with lived experience. 

 Nominees cannot self-nominate for this category and must be nominated by someone else.

Lived Experience Impact & Inspiration Award 

Presented by the WA Mental Health Commission

This award celebrates the outstanding contribution to mental health in WA that an individual who identifies as having a lived experience (consumer, carer or family member) has made to the community.  

Judges are looking an individual has demonstrated how they have improved the lives and wellbeing of others in the community and/or raised awareness of mental health challenges in WA. 
 
Nominations are open to any individual who identifies as having lived experience of a mental health challenge, or is a family member, carer. 
Nominees cannot self-nominate for this category and must be nominated by someone else.

Mental Health Employee or Volunteer Excellence Award 

This award recognises an outstanding contribution to mental health in WA by an individual employed or volunteering within private, public or not-for-profit organisations. 
Judges are looking for how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in providing support to people with mental health challenges.  

Nominations for this award are open to any individual who is a paid employee or volunteer (unpaid) within  any workplace mental health champion across any business. 
Nominees cannot self-nominate for this category and must be nominated by someone else.

Innovation in Service Delivery Award 

Presented by Youth Focus

This award recognises a person, team or organisation operating in the Mental Health sector who has developed new or innovative approach to service delivery improving the lives of people with lived experience of mental health challenges. 

The new approach has been trialed, tested and found to be a solution which has improved the outcomes from the perspective of people with lived experience of mental health challenges.  The innovation may be in relation to an approach or process which may have been prompted by feedback from people with a mental health challenge, families or carers or be a result of co-design with people with a mental health challenge.  

Judges will be looking for clear evidence of change in the process and what has changed for the person/s with lived experience of mental health challenge.  Why is this innovation worthy of recognition.   

Self nominations are welcomed for this category.  

Prevention or Promotion Award

Presented by Mercycare

This award celebrates an outstanding contribution to prevention and/or promotion in mental health in WA for people with moderate, severe and persistent mental health challenges 
 
Judges are looking for how the contribution:   

  • Increased community awareness and understanding of mental health issues and reduced the stigma associated with seeking support. 
  • Increases community education, understanding and acceptance of people with moderate, severe and persistent mental health challenges. 

 Nominations will have helped promote positive mental health or prevent/reduce the impact of mental health issues. They will have demonstrated strong engagement with mental health consumers or the sector and/or the wider WA community. 

Nominations are open to any individual, organisation, group or project.

Diversity & Inclusion Award 

Presented by Roshana Care Group

This award is for an individual, organisation or group that embraces diversity and promotes inclusion, with an initiative that benefits a particular population group – including, but not limited to – culturally and linguistically diverse, age, ability, Aboriginal people and LGBTQIA+. 

Judges are looking for initiatives that demonstrate inclusive mental health supports or activities which connect with communities in a way that is respectful and reflects the interests and the preferences of the particular population group. 

initiatives where employers increase their competency and capability to be inclusive of the particular population groups.   

Nominations are open to any individual, organisation or business. 
Self nominations are welcomed for this category.

Mental Health Education Award

Presented by Hope Community Services

This award recognises an education institution that encourages positive mental health for students, staff and/or volunteers in the education system. 

Nominations are open to education institutions within WA.  Applicable education institutions can include early childhood learning centres, kindergarten, primary and high schools, universities, TAFE and registered training organisations (RTOs). 

Judges are looking for programs and/or activities which are an ongoing feature of the education organisation – not just a one-off event. 

 Self-nominations are welcomed for this category.

Mentally Healthy Workplace Award 

This award recognises a WA workplace that encourages excellent mental health for its staff and volunteers through initiatives, programs, and/or organisational culture. 

Judges are looking for employers/businesses who demonstrate excellence in mental health promotion within the workplace. 

 Nominations are open to any organisation operating within WA. 
Self-nominations are welcomed for this category.

News and Media Award

Presented by the Western Australian Association for Mental Health 

This award recognises excellence in journalism, reporting and media relating to mental health in WA. Nominations open to all mediums, including print, audio or video broadcast (including podcasts, documentaries etc.) and digital/online media. 

Nominations for this award are open to a media professional (including freelancers) whose work was effective in contributing to a wider understanding of mental health and explored issues of importance.  The work should exhibit recovery-oriented language when referring to  sensitive topics around mental health. The nomination should demonstrate a strong understanding of mental health, mental health challenges, the mental health sector and/or the mental health system. 

The nominated work must be written/produced by a WA-based media professional or WA media organisation, which was published/broadcast within the state or to a WA readership/audience. 

 Self-nominations are welcomed for this category.