Every community has its local legends: the volunteers, mentors, leaders, and everyday champions who go above and beyond to make a difference.
The Alpine Shire Community Awards are now open with new awards that have been specifically designed to celebrate the diverse people who choose to call Alpine Shire home.
Community members can now nominate across seven categories, either online through Engage Alpine or via a paper form available at the Council office in Bright and libraries in Bright, Mount Beauty, and Myrtleford.
The new awards will replace the existing awards and include:
- Alpine Volunteer of the Year
- Alpine Young Achiever of the Year
- Alpine Community Initiative of the Year
- Alpine Sports Volunteer of the Year
- Alpine Sporting Achievement
- Alpine Arts & Culture
- Alpine Unsung Hero
The Alpine Volunteer of the Year and Alpine Young Achiever of the Year will be awarded to one nominee for each award from Bright and district, one for each award from Myrtleford and district, and one for each award from the Kiewa Valley.
The other five awards will be awarded to one nominee for each award from Alpine Shire.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, said that the new awards reflected the Alpine Shire Community Vision of embracing change, supporting new ideas, and leading with confidence.
"Our Awards began in 2000, and, over the past 26 years, have celebrated over a hundred people who believe in the power of people to create connected communities," she said.
"Our new awards broaden the scope for community members to nominate the people in their life that deserve to be recognised for making Alpine Shire one of the best places to live, work, and visit."
Cr Nicholas recognised that nominating an individual or a group for an award can take time and encouraged people to work together to put forward a nomination.
"As well as developing new awards, we have also simplified the nomination process to make it easier for people wanting to recognise the important people in their lives," she said.
"We live in a busy world that demands a lot of our attention, which means it can be hard to find the time to sit down and write out a nomination.
"That's why I encourage you to work with your friends, or other people in your club or group, to put together a few words that describe the people you're nominating.
"Working together can make the process a lot easier and means that the people you're nominating will be recognised for all their selfless contributions to their community."
Individuals, groups, and organisations can be nominated for a 2027 Alpine Shire Community Award by visiting https://engage.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/alpine-shire-community-awards
Nominations close at 11.59pm on Sunday, 29 November 2026.
The Alpine Shire Community Awards will be awarded on Monday, 26 January 2027 at ceremonies held across Alpine Shire, with more information to be released closer to the date.