Narragunnawali Reconciliation in Education Awards (Australia)

Finalist schools and early learning services are acknowledged for the ways in which they strengthen relationships, build respect, and provide meaningful opportunities in the classroom, around the school or early learning service, and with the community.

Categories

• Schools: This category incorporates primary, secondary, senior secondary and combined schools within the government, independent or Catholic sectors.
• Early Learning Services: This category incorporates early childhood education and care, preschool, family day care and out of school hours care services.

Benefits

• All finalists and winners will receive:
  • A short film showcasing the reconciliation initiatives in their school or early learning service
  • A commemorative trophy and certificate
  • A featured article in Narragunnawali News
• Finalists will also have access to special engagement and networking opportunities facilitated by the Narragunnawali team and will become part of the Narragunnawali Awards Alumni Network.

Award Information

• The winners of each category of the Narragunnawali Awards 2025 will receive $10,000 in prize money to support reconciliation initiatives within the winning school or early learning service community.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible to apply for the Narragunnawali Awards 2025, a school or early learning service must meet each of the following criteria:
  • Schools and early learning services must have a published Narragunnawali Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at the point in time that the application is submitted to Reconciliation Australia by the Principal/Director.
    • Published RAPs have been approved by the Principal/Director and, following review and publication by Reconciliation Australia, are visible on the Who has a RAP? page on the Narragunnawali platform.
    • Schools and early learning services that would like to apply for the awards, but haven’t yet created a RAP, can do so via the Narragunnawali platform prior to starting their application.
    • The application can be started while the RAP is still in draft form but will only be able to be submitted to Reconciliation Australia by the Principal/Director once the RAP has been published. Please aim to submit your RAP to Reconciliation Australia at least 2 weeks prior to applications closing.
  • Schools or early learning services must be able to demonstrate that they have been actively carrying out reconciliation initiatives that meet the selection criteria – see page 5 – during the years 2024 and 2025.
  • Only one application can be submitted per individual school or early learning service.
  • Schools or early learning services that were finalists in the Narragunnawali Awards 2023 are ineligible to re-apply for the Narragunnawali Awards 2025. This does not preclude schools or early learning services that were finalists in the Narragunnawali Awards 2017 / 2019 / 2021 re-applying for an award in 2025.
  • All submitted applications must attach evidence (in PDF or video URL link format only) that the application has been endorsed by the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Instructions on how to provide this evidence are included within the Narragunnawali Awards online application form.
  • The Principal/Director of the school or early learning service’s RAP Working Group must submit the application to Reconciliation Australia. This is to ensure that the submitted application has undergone executive-level review and approval prior to submission to Reconciliation Australia.

Selection Criteria

• All schools and early learning services submitting an award application must respond to the following selection criteria. The selection criteria is aligned to the Narragunnawali RAP Framework and associated RAP Actions. Strong applications will draw on RAP Action commitments and will demonstrate a whole-school or service commitment to reconciliation, that engages all staff, students and community members.
• Criterion 1 – Relationships: the school or early learning service has strengthened relationships between non-Indigenous peoples and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the classroom, around the school or early learning service and with the community, to achieve outstanding outcomes towards advancing reconciliation.
• Criterion 2 – Respect: the school or early learning service has fostered a high level of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s histories, cultures and contributions in the classroom, around the school or early learning service and with the community, to achieve outstanding outcomes towards advancing reconciliation.
• Criterion 3 – Opportunities: the school or early learning service has established or extended opportunities for staff, students, children, families and community members to achieve outstanding outcomes towards advancing reconciliation in the classroom, around the school or early learning service, and with the community.

For more information, visit Reconciliation Australia.