The Vision Super Local Heroes Awards are designed to bring much-needed recognition to the work of local government employees who go above and beyond for their community.
Nominations are open to all local government workers in Victoria and NSW, including employees of associated organisations operated by the council, and local libraries. Nominations may be made on behalf of others or self-nominated.
The awards are held in partnership with the Australian Services Union (ASU).
$1,000 grand prize for the winners!
A $1,000 gift card grand prize will be presented to the winner of each award category and $500 gift cards to the runners-up to acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by these individuals or groups.
Categories and criteria
To be nominated, the local government or library worker(s) must demonstrate at least one of the following criteria:
Made a significant difference to a community or member of a community
Contributed to the safety of an individual or group in the community
Made a substantial contribution to the welfare of a vulnerable person or group in the community.
An effective nomination clearly explains why the nominee is deserving of the award, what sets their contribution apart from others, and describes the impact or outcome of their contribution.
The winners and runners-up will be selected by a panel of judges comprised of members of the leadership teams at Vision Super and the ASU. Entries will be judged against a set criteria based on the specific award category.
You must also choose which of the following four awards categories your nomination is eligible for, based on whether the nominee works for a metropolitan or regional council, and the nature of their contribution and/or role at council.
There are four awards categories:
Environment, Infrastructure and Recreation Local Heroes Award – Metropolitan | Environment, Infrastructure and Recreation Local Heroes Award – Regional |
|---|---|
Families, Health and Community Development Local Heroes Award – Metropolitan | Families, Health and Community Development Local Heroes Award – Regional |
Unsure which category to choose? Please pick the category you think is most applicable – we may transfer the nomination if we think it is better suited to a different category. You will be informed if your nomination is transferred to another category.
Category descriptions
Local council jobs can generally be classified as either indoor (typically office based, professional or community service roles) or outdoor (usually working on site, roles may require physical labour) and the categories broadly reflect this.
The aim of the awards categories is to provide everyone with an opportunity to be recognised for their specific contributions, which may not always be comparable across different locations and work environments.
Please note that the examples provided below are just there as a guide and are by no means exhaustive – the Local Heroes Awards are open to everyone in council!
Contributions or initiatives that are eligible for the environment, infrastructure and recreation category could relate to: | Contributions or initiatives that are eligible for the families, health and community development category could relate to: |
|---|---|
Parks and gardens | Child, maternal and community care |
Environmental sustainability | Community partnerships |
Asset and infrastructure projects (any size and cost) | Diversity and inclusion |
Disaster readiness and recovery | Libraries and community centres |
Sportsgrounds and leisure centres | Arts and culture |
Key dates
Nominations open: 30 January 2026 | Nominations close: 30 March 2026
Winners announced: Thursday 14 May 2026 at the Local Heroes Gala Awards Ceremonies.
The Melbourne awards ceremony will be held at Victorian Trades Hall Council in Carlton and the Sydney awards ceremony will be held at Barnet Long Room in Customs House.
How to submit your nomination
You can nominate an individual or group by filling out a nomination form online. You’ll need contact details for you and the nominee/s (if you are submitting on behalf of someone else) to complete your nomination, so make sure you have these ready.
You can submit your nomination in writing or as a video, but when describing the reasons for your nomination, you must explain and include clear examples of what makes your nominee a local hero.
Instructions for submitting a video nomination:
If using your mobile phone, make sure you are filming in landscape mode with the phone turned horizontally. You can ask a friend or colleague to film you or you can put the front camera on and film yourself selfie style.
Film indoors, preferably in a well-lit area without other conversations in the vicinity or background noise, to ensure clear audio and video quality.
Use a tripod or stabilise your phone against something heavy like a stack of books to avoid shaky footage.
Keep videos under 10 minutes in duration.
We recommend uploading your video to a platform like YouTube, Vimeo, iCloud or Google Drive, copying the URL and pasting it into the ‘why is the nominee a local hero?’ section of the online nomination form. Ensure link sharing is turned on so the judges can access the video – depending on which platform you use, you can usually set the privacy settings so only those with the link can view the video.
The awards are free to enter. To be a valid entry, the nominee must be a New South Wales or Victorian resident over the age of 18 and the act/contribution described in the nomination must have taken place between 1 January 2025 and 30 March 2026.
You can find the full Terms and Conditions for the Vision Super Local Heroes Awards here. Through participating in the event and/or nominating an individual, you agree to these terms and conditions.
Do you know a local hero making a difference in your community?
Now’s your chance to recognise those driving meaningful change and celebrate the difference they make.
Nominations close Monday 30 March 2026.
Meet our 2025 winners
Carol Rosentreter, Mitchell Shire Council
Carol is a Family Social Worker who regularly goes above and beyond, often in her own time and at her own expense, when responding to the needs of her clients. Carol has been known to arrange and participate in weekend clean ups of people's yards, deliver emergency food and formula to families late on Friday afternoons and provide flexible appointment times out of hours to accommodate parents’ work commitments.
Hoa Le, Brimbank City Council
In a community with more than 160 cultures represented, Hoa’s work as a CALD outreach worker for the kindergarten team is essential to ensure children get the best start in their lives. She uses trauma-informed practice techniques and her own lived experience as a refugee to support newly arrived families and families who have limited English to ensure their children are connected to maternal child health, kindergarten and playgroups across the municipality.
Jamie Cooke, Wyndham City Council
For well over a decade, Jamie has been an invaluable figure in the FReeZA program, a key initiative aimed at helping young people lead the planning, development and delivery of safe, youth-friendly events. Jamie’s mentorship has allowed young people in Melbourne’s west to take on real responsibilities and develop practical skills, which in turn has helped them grow as leaders and for many, even become professionals in the music industry.
Rachel Whittaker, Northern Grampians Shire Council
When the devastating Grampians bushfires started in December 2024, Rachel was instrumental in supporting the Halls Gap community. She assisted with relief payment applications, correspondence between community and shire, and streamlining emergency funds for recovery activities, but was also the human face of council – being a friend, a neighbour and a trusted community member for people to talk to in their time of need.
Meet our 2025 runners-up
Declan Napier, Greater Shepparton City Council
Declan has played a key role in the council's Resilience in Recovery program, taking a community-led approach to disaster recovery. Declan has led a range of initiatives including community movie and comedy nights, psychological first aid training, and community check-in and emergency management planning sessions. Her leadership, community engagement skills and commitment to creating positive change at the ground level are creating strong social community ties in the region’s most flood impacted communities.
Fern Sugars and Melanie Van Dyk, Yarra City Council
Melanie and Fern were nominated for their work as ASU delegates, putting themselves out there to stand up for workers and secure better outcomes for them. They often volunteer their own time for meetings, calls, attending various rallies, training sessions and campaigning events and were instrumental in getting the recent multi-council employer agreement over the line. They advocate for individuals or groups facing discrimination or disadvantage and raise the profile of important issues within the community.
Housing Services Team, Melton City Council
There has been a significant increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness, but a lack of services able to provide specialised support to these community members. The Housing Services Team led the establishment of a working group to develop the Rough Sleeping Response Initiative. This initiative allows the council and other key stakeholders, including Melbourne City Mission, IPC Health and Salvation Army, to pool their resources to better support people who are sleeping rough across the municipality.