Welcome to the 2026 Community Group of the Year Award nomination form

Know a community group doing amazing things in Brimbank? Tell us about them!  

We're celebrating community groups that make a real difference. Whether they run events, provide vital services, or bring people together. 

This is your chance to shine a spotlight on the local heroes working hard to make Brimbank a better place for everyone. 

Please read through the information below before starting your nomination.

This form is powered by SmartyGrants.

Eligibility

We encourage community groups, not-for-profit or social enterprises to self-nominate. 

Your nominee needs to meet the below criteria

• Majority of work delivered in Brimbank
• Community group, not-for-profit, incorporated organisation or club
• Their work needs to have benefitted Brimbank residents within the last 12 months

Who can't be nominated

• 2025 Community Group of the Year
• Community groups, not-for-profits or organisations wholly or partly owned by current or former Councillors from the last 5 years
• Paid employees of Brimbank City Council

What you need to get started

Before you start, make sure you have the following ready to go:

• Permission from the person you’re nominating to put them forward for this award
• Contact information for the person you're nominating (even if it’s just an email or social media profile)
• A second person who can support your nomination as a referee. You will need:
  • Their contact details.
  • Their 200-word statement of support for the nominee, describing why they should receive the award.
• Any extra documents that showcase your nominee's work. You can upload a maximum of 10 documents.
  • This could be things like news articles, photos or references.
  • Please try to keep files to a maximum of 5MB.

Moving through the nomination form

When you click ‘Start a submission’, you will be prompted to create a SmartyGrants account. You cannot submit your nomination without an account. 

You can begin anywhere in this application. Make sure you save as you go.

You need to submit your nomination through this form. We can't accept email submissions.

Can I save my form and come back to it later?

Yes. If you need to leave your nomination form and complete it later, press 'save and close' and log out.

When you log back in, click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen. You will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off.

You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download PDF' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

Submitting your nomination

• No further editing or uploading of support materials is possible after you submit your form.
• You'll find a 'Review and Submit' button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your form before you can submit it.
• Complete all the compulsory questions and make sure there are no validation errors.
• Once you have reviewed your form you can submit it. Click on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel.
• You will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your nomination attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.
• If you don't receive a confirmation, and it's not in your junk folder, then your nomination has not been submitted.

Judging

A panel of judges assess all nominations and determines the finalists

Our judges are looking for concise answers that are relevant, accurate and honest. They need a good understanding of how your nominee supports Brimbank residents through their work.

For example: Give an overview of the project/initiative you are nominating – including its purpose, community benefits and successes.

Privacy Collection Statement

Brimbank City Council collects this information in order to:

• Review the nominations for the We Are Brimbank Awards and make a determination in relation to the nominations received for the award categories.
• Share this information with the judges that are on the awards panel. We are requesting your personal information to be able to contact you if the application is incomplete or further information is required.

If you have any questions about how your personal information will be handled or would like to gain access to your personal information, you can contact Brimbank City Council on 9249 4000 or email info@brimbank.vic.gov.au