The finalists for this year’s Third Sector Awards have been announced, celebrating Australia’s most notable executive leaders and organisations that have influenced and made a difference to the sector.

Themed “Avantgarde – Celebrating the sector’s most extraordinaire”, the Awards highlights innovative and progressive sector leaders and organisations, creating an opportunity to showcase themselves, colleagues or organisations for leadership and innovation demonstrated within their organisation and the wider community.

The nominees were judged based on their social impact, outcomes measurement, social innovation, collaboration, leadership and systems thinking.

A team of judges scored hundreds of entries across these multiple categories to decide the finalists.  Jessica Brown, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Life Changing Experiences, one of the judges said: “All of the nominations were outstanding and extremely worthy causes. Applications which stood out were the ones who could demonstrate the deepest and most long lasting social impact”.

Another judge, Scott Lockie, Chief Executive Officer at emPOWER Your Mission, said: “With regards to the nominations, I was particularly looking for two things – innovation and collaboration. In a sector which is becoming increasingly competitive, both are vital for organisations to survive and thrive. I was delighted with the standard of the nominations and the innovative and creative methods many charities are now adopting”.

Andrea Alexander, Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Research Foundation (Inc), also one of the judges, said: “I was blown away with the quality and diversity of the causes involved and the people who were instrumental in setting them up!”

Andrea said that nominations that stood out were ones that really seemed to fill a critical need in the community, and that had thought outside the box as to how to create innovation for their cause in the sector.

The Awards is put together in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact for unbiased and objective point of reference.

Public voting is now OPEN  for the Third Sector Awards! Cast your vote today to give them the recognition they deserve! Voting will close on 27 August 2019.

The Awards finalists are:

CEO of the Year
Dr Lisa J. Griffiths, OzChild
Eileen Hannagan, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
Dr Genevieve Nelson, Kokoda Track Foundation
Lindsay Cane AM GAICD, Royal Far West
Anthea Smits, The Difference Incubator

Board Director of the Year
Ian Hamm, First Nations Foundation
Susan Alexander, Stepping Stone House
Sonya Clancy, The Big Issue & Homes for Homes
Robyn De Szoeke OAM, Dress for Success Sydney
Gary White, Goondir Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health Services

Campaign / Marketing Executive of the Year
Matthew Martin, The Disability Trust
Beverley Brock, Dress for Success Sydney – Empower Hour
Joanna Le, YWCA Canberra
Colin Batrouney, Thorne Harbour Health
Chris Frame, Braemar Presbyterian Care

Volunteer of the Year
Donald Thomas Gore, St Vincent de Paul QLD
Chris Bond, Stepping Stone House
Cassandra Vujovich-Dunn, Waves of Wellness
Peter Frazer, Sarah Group
Keeley Johnson, Keeley’s Cause
Shirley Chesterman, Guide Dogs Victoria

Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Jeremy Meltzer, i=Change
Karn Gosh, Kinela – previously Hit 100
Weh Yeoh, OIC Cambodia Happy Kids Clinic Umbo
Toby Dawson, IRT Foundation
Darren Mort, To be Loved

Young Leader of the Year
Riley Saban, PolySpine
Dhanush Girish,The Oaktree Foundation
Emily Ireland, PCYC QLD
Jacob Matthew, Scope Aust
Rooan Al Kalmashi, Settlement Services International

Emerging Leader of the Year
Kaz McGrath, Act for Peace & the Ration Challenge
Karn Ghosh, Kinela – Formerly Hit100
Sarah Patterson, Community Legal Centre
Kate Fazio, Justice Connect
Aiden Thomas, UPA North Coast Youth Care

Small Charity of the Year (10 people or less)
First Nations Foundation
The Funding Network
Bowel Cancer Australia
Emerge Australia
Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation

Emerging NFP of the Year
HoMie
Better Renting
Share the Dignity
Ocean Mind
The Harding Miller Education Foundation

Influencer of the Year – Judge’s Choice (not open for public voting)
Cheryl Kickett Turner
Kim Kelloway
Yvonne Keane
Maree Burke
Charlie Bennett

Winners will be announced on the Awards night, presented by Spark Strategy, set on the 24th of September, and will be part of Third Sector Live, a 3-day conference that  brings together main players of the NFP sector in a unique opportunity for Australia’s sector leaders.

Attendees of the conference will hear from industry leaders about the role of the third sector, including Ronni Kahn AO of OzHarvest, Claire Rogers of World Vision Australia, James Fowles of Hello Sunday Morning and Katherine Raskob of Fundraising Institute of Australia.