IAP2A Core Values Awards
The IAP2 Australasia Core Values Awards build awareness, contribute to the practice and recognise excellence in public participation and community engagement.
IAP2A’s premier Core Values Awards recognise and encourage projects and organisations that are at the forefront of public participation and community and stakeholder engagement. The awards encourage excellence, quality, and innovation in the field, and alignment with the IAP2 Core Values.
2023 Core Values Awards open Monday 3 April and close on Friday 26 May 2023.
Click here to Download the 2023 Core Values Awards Entry Kit
The Award categories.
In 2023, IAP2A offered three major awards:
- Project of the Year
- Organisation of the Year
- Research Project of the Year
IAP2A will also award eight Project Category Awards, from which the winner of Project of the Year will be chosen:
- Planning
- Infrastructure (Planning and Design)
- Infrastructure (Construction)
- Environment
- Health
- Disaster and Emergency Services
- Community Development
- Indigenous
Click here to Download the 2023 Core Values Awards Entry Kit
For more information, please visit the 2023 Core Values Awards page.
When do entries for the Core Values Awards 2023 open?
Entries open 3 April 2023, and the Entry Kit will be available via the IAP2A website on that day.
How can I access the 2023 Entry Kit?
The Entry Kit will be available on this page on 3 April 2023 or you can Download a copy of the 2022 Entry Kit here.
You may also like to join the IAP2A Newsletter mailing list to stay up-to-date.
When do entries for the Core Values Awards 2023 close?
Entries will close 5.00pm (AEST) Friday 26 May 2023. (In fairness to all entrants, and to ensure the judging process is not delayed, extensions cannot be granted.)
What are the Core Values Awards Categories?
There are three Major Awards: Project of the Year Award, Organisation of the Year Award and the Research Project of the Year Award.
The Project of the Year Award is divided up into the following categories:
- Indigenous
- Planning
- Infrastructure (Planning and Design)
- Infrastructure (Construction)
- Environment
- Health
- Disaster and Emergency Services
- Community Development
How do I submit an entry?
All entries are submitted via the IAP2A Application Portal: https://iap2a.smapply.io/. For Project category entries, entrants will need to complete the Case Study template for their entry submission. This template will be a Word doc, which is then uploaded to the IAP2A Application Portal.
What countries can enter the IAP2 Australasia Awards?
Entries from Australia and New Zealand are most welcome. Entrants from other countries can enter their local IAP2 Affiliate Awards, or if none available, they can enter the IAP2 International Awards. Visit: iap2.org for more information.
How recent must the project to be to enter?
There is no time limit on when your project was started or completed to enter the 2023 Awards.
Is there a fee to enter?
An entry fee applies to each application: $175 plus GST for IAP2 members, $425 plus GST for non-members.
Organisations entering need to be a Corporate or Small Business Member of IAP2 Australasia to access the member rate. If multiple organisations are entering, then at least one organisation must be a Corporate or Small Business Member. The entry fee is invoiced after the closing date of 29 May 2023.
If your organisation would like to request exemption from the entry fee (such as due to charity status or organisational policies), please feel free to email info@iap2.org.au (attention Marketing and Sales Manager) to explain your position.
We are not a member of IAP2 Australasia. Can we still enter?
Yes, you may – although note that there is a different entry fee for non-members.
When are the finalists and winners announced?
Finalists will be announced in September 2023. The winners will be announced the IAP2A Conference, to be held in Brisbane, October 2023.
I am not sure which Category to enter.
We recommend you enter the Category that best fits your project or organisation. The judges may move you to a different category if they feel there is a better fit for your entry.
I’m having problems accessing the IAP2 Application Portal, or receiving my verification email.
We recommend you create your account in the IAP2 application submission system (powered by application software SM Apply) at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline to ensure you are familiar with what is required and comfortable with the online submission system. This also gives you the opportunity to seek help if you are having any technical issues. You can save, edit and even re-submit your entry as required up until the deadline.
All entrants need to create an account in the Application Portal and will receive a system generated email verification request before they can proceed. If you do not receive this email, please check your spam or junk folder, and check with your organisation’s IT if your firewall allow emails from SM Apply. For additional assistance, contact the Marketing Manager via email info@iap2.org.au.
Some organisations may have difficulty accessing SM Apply submission system, or receiving emails from SM Apply due to IT firewalls, policies or configuration. We suggest you speak to your IT department about granting access; or use an alternative email address (such as a Gmail or personal address) to receive validation emails.
For further information on how to use the SM Apply submission system, visit their FAQ page at: smapply.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001445354-Applicant-FAQ
Do you have any tips or tricks?
Ensure that your entry addresses all of the IAP2 Core Values. And definitely proofread it well.
How many entries do you typically receive per category?
Entry submissions do vary for each category, the range is typically between five to twenty. The Planning, Community Development and Infrastructure categories generally attract the most entries.
What if entries contain sensitive stakeholder information that is not be shared widely?
You are welcome to flag any sensitive information that you would rather not have published, and we can work with you to remove or edit this before your Case Study is published in any way.
Is the Case Study Template to be used for all applications or only for Project of the Year submissions?
The new Case Study template is for Project of the Year entries only.
Applications for Organisation of the Year and Research Project of the Year use different criteria, you will find a suggested framework for these in the 2023 Entry Kit.
What information is to be edited in the Case Study Template?
You can remove or overwrite any of the explanatory/instructional text. You can also expand your images if the allowed space is not big enough.
Is there a word limit for each section of the Case Study Template or specific font size to use?
Yes, there are word limits for each section in the Case Study Template – refer to the template for the specific word limits.
We recommend keeping the font size the same as in the template.
Any content over the word limit will be deleted prior to being sent to the judges.
If I enter and win a sub-category, therefore go into the Project of the Year finalists, will I need to complete the Case Study entry again?
Your original entry will be used for all stages of the process, including the Australasia Finalists and IAP2 International Awards.
So you only need to submit your entry once.
For the Case Study Template, do I have to use all the image boxes?
No, you can be flexible with the images you can include. Simply delete any image boxes you don’t require, or add in additional images wherever you like. You can also make the image boxes larger or smaller, as required.
For the Introduction page of the Case Study Template, can I delete the circle diagram?
Yes, you can. It is there to demonstrate how the different sections fit together, but you can certainly delete the diagram if you like.
Are references or referees required or optional?
Referees or references are required. There are three different options to provide referees:
- Request a reference from your referee through the SM Apply Portal; OR
- Upload written references (ensure referee contact details are included), OR
- Provide the contact details of referees (name, how they were involved with the entry, email address and phone number)



