This year JustGiving held the second annual JustGiving Asia Pacific (APAC) Awards, recognising and celebrating outstanding achievements of fundraisers and charities during the past 12 months in the Asia Pacific region.

Voting for the 2015 JustGiving APAC Awards was hosted on the JustGiving Facebook page where members of the public were able to vote for their favourite charity and fundraiser and with over 7,000 votes in just six days, it showed just how much support the charities and fundraisers have.

Australian 2015 Charity of the Year finalists:

Our first finalist for Australian Charity of the year is the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF).

ACRF are dedicated to finding the cures for cancer by funding world-class research in Australia. They are committed to speeding up discoveries for this devastating disease that affects one in three Australians. ACRF have awarded $103.9 million in cancer research grants to institutes across the country.

Our second finalist for Australian Charity of the year is ChildFund Australia.

ChildFund Australia works to ensure children globally are safe, educated and heard. Each year, millions of children across the world miss out on their right to education, protection and healthy development. ChildFund delivers life-changing programs in partnership with local communities to help ensure these children have a future.

And the winner is… Legacy Australia

For nearly a century, Legacy has supported Australian Defence Force families in times of great need by providing services to families who are suffering financially and socially after the incapacitation or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their Defence Force service.

David Gray, Chairman of Legacy Australia commented, “Legacy is honoured to be announced as the 2015 JustGiving Charity of the Year and would like to thank everyone who voted. For over 90 years Legacy has supported the families of those who have given their lives of health as a result of their Australian Defence service. We care for around 90,000 veteran families across Australia today. It is wonderful to see the work of Legacy and our dedicated volunteers recognised in this year’s JustGiving Awards.”

The results of the public vote are a testament to the inspirational work that our charities and fundraisers have carried out in 2015 across the Asia Pacific region and we look forward to celebrating even more success stories in 2016.