Apply for Commonwealth Youth Awards 2023 for Excellence in Development Work

Nominations for the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Awards, which recognise exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth, are now open. The awards, held each year in March, celebrate the outstanding contributions young people (aged 15-29) are making towards tackling global issues, improving lives and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The main objectives of the Commonwealth Youth Awards are to:

Highlight the contributions young people are making to development work in the Commonwealth, particularly through the Sustainable Development Goals;
Create an environment which will encourage and sustain investments in youth-led development;
Illustrate the depth and breadth of talent, commitment and creativity that exists among young people across the Commonwealth; and
Motivate, encourage and challenge young people to set high standards for their work/service at community, national, regional or international levels.

Eligibility

To submit an entry, an applicant must be:

a Commonwealth citizen;
between the age of 15 to 29 years; and
have been engaged in development work for at least 12 months as a professional or volunteer.

Nominees must show a strong track record of implementing impactful development work which contributes to at least one of the 17 SDGs.

To be eligible for the additional QCT prize, applicants must be aged 18 to 29 years old, and the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise.

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Awards will be decided on the basis of:

Level of impact;
Level of innovation/fresh approaches to problem solving;
Quality of achievement;
Quality of the evidence provided; and
Sustainability.

Prizes

Young people from the 56 Commonwealth countries can enter five regional categories: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, and the Pacific.

The 20 Regional Finalists will each receive a £1,000 grant, a trophy and a certificate.

The 5 Regional Winners will receive an additional £2,000 (a total of £3,000) a trophy and a certificate.

The Pan-Commonwealth Winner will receive an additional £2,000 (a total of £5,000) a trophy and a certificate.

The selected winner of the QCT prizes will recieve two years of flexible funding at £20,000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organisational development support.