The Commonwealth 2022 Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards

Nominations for the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Awards, which recognise exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth, are now open.

The awards, held each year in March, celebrate the outstanding contributions young people (aged 15-29) are making towards tackling global issues, improving lives and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Previous winners have enjoyed international acclaim, cash prizes and invaluable networking opportunities to help boost their projects.

Next year’s awards are even more special as 2023 has been declared ‘Year of the Youth’, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme.

• Table of Content
• About The Commonwealth
• Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards
• Aim and Benefits of Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards
• Requirements for Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.4 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 32 of our members are small states, including many island nations. Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter. The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last country to join the Commonwealth wa... continue reading

Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards

Aim and Benefits of Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards

• The jury will shortlist finalists, who will each receive a trophy, a certificate and £1,000 in cash, and from them, regional award winners will be chosen. These will receive an additional £2,000.
• One of the regional award recipients will be accorded further recognition as Commonwealth Young Person of the Year and a total cash prize of £5,000.
• For the second year running the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) has joined the Commonwealth Secretariat as a partner to offer one winner up to two years of flexible funding worth £20,000 a year, as well as coaching opportunities and organisational development support.

Requirements for Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards Qualification

To submit an entry, an applicant must be:

• a Commonwealth citizen;
• between the age of 15 to 29 years; and
• have been engaged in development work for at least 12 months as a professional or volunteer.

Nominees must show a strong track record of implementing impactful development work which contributes to at least one of the 17 SDGs.

To be eligible for the additional QCT prize, applicants must be aged 18 to 29 years old, and the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Nominate a Young Person for the Commonwealth Youth Awards

Young leaders from across the 54 Commonwealth countries can enter five regional categories:

1. Africa;
2. Asia;
3. Caribbean;
4. Europe and Canada; and
5. Pacific.

A pan-Commonwealth panel will judge the entries based on the impact, sustainability and level of innovation.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details, visit The Commonwealth website.