The 2023 Commonwealth Youth Awards, which honor outstanding young people from all throughout the Commonwealth, are now accepting nominations.
The awards, which are given out annually in March, honor extraordinary efforts made by young people (ages 15 to 29) to address global issues, improve lives, and realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Past winners have benefited from widespread recognition, financial awards, and priceless networking opportunities to advance their ideas.
The 2023 calendar year has been designated as the “Year of the Youth” in recognition of the Commonwealth Youth Programme’s 50th anniversary, making this year’s awards even more noteworthy.
The 2023 Awards, according to the Secretary-General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, were announced as a historic turning point on the eve of International Youth Day. She claimed that the Commonwealth Charter is centered on young people.
The young people of the Commonwealth never cease to inspire her with their brilliance, dedication, and creativity, and she recently met many inspirational young people in Rwanda at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.
Young people are nonetheless dedicated to developing workable solutions that will enhance lives everywhere, notwithstanding being disproportionately affected by tremendous health, environmental, and economic difficulties.
A record amount of young people applied for the awards last year and participated on social media during its promotion.
Award Ceremony: World-class performers, including Nigerian Afropop singer Yemi Alade, performed at the awards ceremony, which was filmed at Marlborough House in London. The event also received widespread media coverage from outlets across the Commonwealth. It was broadcast on TV and online by prominent broadcasters throughout the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.
The Commonwealth Youth Forum and Heads of Government Meeting, held in Kigali, Rwanda, where leaders made commitments to a set of approaches, programs, and actions to resolve the ongoing impact of emerging and ongoing youth-related difficulties like Covid-19, disputes, climate change, joblessness, and access to education, precede the launch of the 2023 Awards.
The proclamation of 2023 as the “Year of the Young” by Commonwealth leaders, which will begin in January with a Youth Ministerial Meeting in Pakistan and feature a variety of additional activities targeted at youth empowerment and development, was one of the meeting’s major outcomes.
Awards
Five regional categories are open to young people from the 56 Commonwealth nations: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, and the Pacific.
The nominations will be evaluated on the basis of effect, sustainability, and innovation by a pan-Commonwealth impartial panel.
Regional award winners will be selected from the jury’s selection of finalists, who will each receive a trophy, a certificate, and £1,000 in cash. These will also get an extra £2,000
A total cash prize of $5,000 will be given to one of the regional award winners, who will also receive an additional acknowledgment as the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) has partnered with the Secretariat for the second consecutive year to provide one winner with up to two years of flexible financing totaling £20,000.
The shortlisted candidates and regional winners will be revealed in March 2023 during Commonwealth Week.
Criteria for participation
- To submit an entry, a candidate must:
- Be a member of the Commonwealth
- Between 15 and 29 years of age; and
- Worked as a professional or volunteer in development for at least one year.
- Proven track record of carrying out important development work that advances at least one of the 17 SDGs.
- Applicants must be founders or co-founders of social enterprises, between the ages of 18 and 29, to be eligible for the additional QCT prize.
How to apply
Nominations must be sent in by Monday, October 17, 2022, 23:59 BST. Click here to submit an entry.
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