Nominations open for Animal Justice Awards (Australia)

Award Categories

This year’s Awards include six categories:

• The Peter Singer Award for Lifetime Achievement
  • This will be awarded by Peter Singer to an individual who has provided outstanding service to the movement over a long period (more than 20 years). The panel will consider the impact of the work on animals directly, as well as its wider impact on society’s progress towards a world of animal justice. The winner will receive the bespoke Peter Singer Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of their work.
• In Memoriam for Animal Justice
  • This will be awarded to an individual who has provided outstanding service to the movement and has passed away in the preceding period. The panel will consider the impact of the work on animals directly, as well as its wider impact on society’s progress towards a world of animal justice. The family, beneficiaries or successors of the person will receive a bespoke in Memoriam Animal Justice Award in recognition of their work in the movement.
• Outstanding Activism in Animal Justice
  • This accolade includes a $10,000 grant. and will be awarded to an individual or organisation that has undertaken outstanding activism in the previous period (2023) to fund further effective activism. The winner will receive a bespoke Outstanding Activism for Animal Justice Award in recognition of their work and a $10,000 cheque to support their ongoing work for animals.
  • The panel will consider both the work already undertaken, and the proposed use of the $10,000 grant over the following year to continue and deepen the outstanding activism. The winner will be required to provide a progress report within twelve months of receiving the grant funds and will be followed up to ensure effective use. Where possible, the AJF will help promote this work and progress through the own communications.
  • You are welcome to nominate a person for this Award, but the awards panel will need the contact details of someone with authoritative knowledge of the work done and proposed. So, most of the nominations are expected to be by the individual or organisation itself.
• Animals Australia award for Effective Advocacy
  • This will be awarded to an individual or organisation that has undertaken innovative and effective values-based advocacy to further the animal cause through a shift in the human/animal relationship in the previous period (2023). The panel will consider both the work already undertaken, and the proposed use of funds towards influencing human thinking, attitudes and choices which affect the lives of animals.
  • The winner will receive a bespoke award in recognition of their work and a $5,000 grant from Animals Australia to fund further similar advocacy.
  • You are welcome to nominate someone for this Award category, but the Awards Selection Panel will need the contact details of someone with authoritative knowledge of the work done and proposed. So, most of the nominations are expected to be by the individual or organisation itself.
• Voiceless Award for Animal Protection Education
  • This will be awarded to an Australian sanctuary, educator, or influencer who uses educational strategies to raise awareness of or promote critical thinking about animal protection issues.
  • The winner will receive a bespoke award and $2,500 from Voiceless in recognition of their work.
  • You are welcome to nominate someone for this Award category, but the Awards Selection Panel will need the contact details of someone with authoritative knowledge of the work done and proposed. So, most of the nominations are expected to be by the individual or organisation itself.
• Voiceless Award for Youth Advocacy
  • This will be awarded to a young or young-at-heart trailblazer who has demonstrated passion, commitment and transformative work for the Australian animal protection movement in the past few years (2020-2023).
  • The winner will receive a bespoke award and $2,500 from Voiceless in recognition of their work.
  • You are welcome to nominate someone for this Award category, but the Awards Selection Panel will need the contact details of someone with authoritative knowledge of the work done and proposed. So, most of the nominations are expected to be by the individual or organisation itself.

Eligibility Criteria

• Groups do not require incorporation.
• With the intention of promoting animal protection to a wider community, there is no political belief or orientation requirement to be eligible for an award or grant.
• With the intention of promoting animal protection to a wider community, there is no strict dietary or lifestyle requirement to be eligible for an award or grant, though these factors may be considered by the Award Selection Panel.
• It is anticipated that the majority of grants monies will be used to fund projects within Australia.
• It is anticipated that individuals or organisations will only be recognised within a category on one occasion (i.e. the same person or entity cannot win it in multiple years).
• The Animal Justice Awards will largely be directed towards initiatives that can be described as “abolitionist”, that is, ultimately directed towards rights or justice for animals, rather than improved welfare.
• The decision of the Award Selection Panel is final and correspondence will not be entered into.
• The Animal Justice Awards are contingent on the growth of the AJF’s annual revenue and comprise a small proportion of the annual income earned from investments, philanthropy and donations.
• The awards sponsored by Animals Australia and Voiceless will consider only work that is legal under state and national laws applicable at the time. ​

For more information, visit Animal Justice Foundation.