As we embrace the new Covid-normal, recover our energy levels for summer and the industry’s peak season and the start of the major events season, the National Sports & Physical Activity Convention (NSC23) is celebrating the industry with this years’ Industry Innovation Awards.
The Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards will be presented as part of this year’s NSC Oration. With the largest ever number of submissions this year, the standards have been exceptionally high, and short-listing was very hard. Congratulations to all those who submitted as they showcase the excellent work that is being invested in communities across Australia.
The final three short-listed contenders have been identified for each category and will be invited to attend the NSC Oration on Thursday 27th July (4.00pm-6.15pm) to celebrate with the industry, here the winners of each category and the overall winner will be announced.
Each category winner will receive a trophy and will then be judged for the opportunity to be crowned the overall Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Award winner. The overall winner will be offered the opportunity to return for NSC 2024 and showcase their project.
The finalists in each category are:
1. programs and activities
Innovative programs, activities and events that have been developed to encourage the community to be more active.
Monash City Council (Active Monash)
Active Communities Program (Vic)
Athletics Australia
Weet-Bix Active Bands (Aus)
Torres Strait & Cape York Peninsula Indigenous Futsal Association Limited
Remote Indigenous Futsal Junior Clubs (NT)
Monash City Council
(Active Monash)
Active Communities Program (Vic)
Athletics Australia
Weet-Bix Active Bands (Aus)
Torres Strait & Cape York Peninsula Indigenous Futsal Association Limited
Remote Indigenous Futsal Junior Clubs (NT)
2. SPORT AND INCLUSION
How sport can make a difference to an inclusive society and how inclusion can grow participation in play, recreation and community sport.
MOVE Moonee Valley
AAA Swim and Social Program
Collective Leisure
‘a business for good’ (NSW)
North Queensland Sports Foundation
Move it NQ (Qld)
3. SOCIAL VALUE OF PARTICIPATION
Measuring the impact that participation has on the health, economic and community value of a community. Supported by ActiveXchange.
Brimbank City Council
Iraqi Women Program (Vic)
Rise Coffs Harbour
Miniroos Multicultural Settlement Program (Qld)
SportWest
Sport in Western Australia: Social Return On Investment (WA)
4. MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
The communication messages that innovatively activates the community for more people to be active, play, recreate and participate in community sport.
Brimbank City Council
Brimbank Aquatics & Wellness Centre Facility Opening (Vic)
parkrun Australia
Women and Girls of parkrun (Aus)
Sydney Off Road Racing
New website with a fresh, creative and innovative design (NSW)
5. YOUNG INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
A young person (under 25) who has developed a program, space, activity, technological solution or innovative partnership that is encouraging more people to be active.
Piper Stewart
Bambigi
Making Aboriginal Kids Deadly Swimmers
Serene Tan
Gymnastics Victoria
6. MAJOR EVENT PROMOTION
Providing community opportunities to grow participation by aligning a mass participation or a major spectator event.
Aquatics & Recreation Victoria
Industry Awards Night (Vic)
Football Queensland Indigenous Corporation
First Nations Indigenous Football Cup (Qld)
Wollongong City Council
Host City 2022 UCI Road World Championships, Bike City (NSW)
7. TECHNOLOGY
Innovations in technology that support Business to Business (B2B) improvements for the industry or Business to Consumer (B2C) experiences.
Chicks Who Ride Bikes
Mobile app development (Qld)
SportsGrid
Bridging Sport & LGBTQ Inclusion upgrade (NSW)
Tidy Connect
Volunteer platform (Vic)
8. SPORT AND LEISURE FACILITY DESIGN
Innovative design and management that creates an environment where more people are active (built and natural environments), whilst embracing the principles of sustainability. Supported by VAILO.
Brimbank City Council/William Ross Architects
Mobile app development (Qld)
PCYC NSW & AJC Architects
PCYC Wagga Wagga (NSW)
SPORTENG
Western Griffiths Regional Multi-Sport
9. SPORTS SURFACES
Innovative solutions that allow greater intensity and durability of natural, hybrid, synthetic or hard sports surfaces to allow for greater usage, whilst embracing the principles of sustainability.
element Sports Turf Solutions
H3 Hybrid Cricket Pitch (Qld)
Newtown and Chilwell Cricket Club
Wicket Redevelopment (VIC)
10. SPORT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Innovations that organisations have embraced that recognise the impact that sport can have on climate change and how they have focused on reducing their carbon footprint.
William Ross Architects/Brimbank City Council
Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre
South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre
Waste Reduction & Energy Saving Strategy - The Y (Vic)
Tennis Australia
Samsara x Wildcard Ventures (Aus)
11. PLAYGROUND DESIGN
Designs and developments that allow and encourage more children to play, have fun and be active.
Blacktown City Council
Wawai Ngurra - Inclusive Adventure Playground (NSW)
Monash City Council
Cameron Avenue & Progress Park Playspace (Vic)
Urban Play
Crawford Square Playground - Casino (NSW)
12. COMMUNITY SPORTS FUNDRAISING
Innovative and community fundraising projects which enable increased participation and community cohesion. Made possible by the Australian Sports Foundation
Ajax Football Club
Club Upgrade Fundraising & Collaboration Strategy (Vic)
Surfers Paradise Benowa Cricket Club
$250,000 Impact Donation (Qld)
Surfing Victoria
Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program (Vic)
THE OVERALL SPORT, RECREATION AND PLAY INDUSTRY AWARD FOR INNOVATION
This award will provide the prize for the National Sports & Physical Activity Convention Overall Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Award. The winner will be chosen from one of the above 12 category winners.
Focused on the learnings from the London Olympics in 2012 through to the Commonwealth Games in 2022, providing insights and unpacking the learnings from the UK over the past decade. This is perfect timing after the launch from Brisbane 2032 and the Queensland Government Elevate 2042 this week, focused on the legacy that Australians are looking for.
Embracing London 2012 learnings into last year with the Women’s Europe Football Championships and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and the successes that provided to legacy.
The Panel will explore the UK’s learnings in relation to the next decade from an Athlete wellbeing lens, Integrity perspective, Commonwealth Games ’26 lens, and the Government’s perspective.
The NSC Oration will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the program includes:
| Time | NSC Oration | |
|---|---|---|
| 4.00pm | NSC Oration: Global Mega-events and their Impact on Sport - Legacy – Integrity – Inclusion – Management | Tim Hollingsworth OBE, Chief Executive of Sport England Focused on the learnings from the London Olympics in 2012 through to the Commonwealth Games in 2022, providing insights and unpacking the learnings from the UK over the past decade. This is perfect timing after the launch from Brisbane 2032 and the Queensland Government Elevate 2042 this week, focused on the legacy that Australians are looking for. Embracing London 2012 learnings into last year with the Women’s Europe Football Championships and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and the successes that provided to legacy. |
| 4.20pm | Industry Thought Leaders Panel Discussion with: |
|
| 5.00pm | Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards Presentations | |
| 5.15pm–6.15pm | Industry Networking Session – Sport and Recreation Expo | |
| 6:15pm | Finish | |
Further information on the National Sports & Physical Activity Convention is available at www.nationalsportsconvention.com.au
Editors Notes
The National Sports & Physical Activity Convention (NSC) has grown since 2016 as Australia/New Zealand’s largest and most prominent community sport and recreation convention and expo. This year the NSC returns to Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 27th and 28th July 2023. The organisers have worked with its 30+ collaborators to offer a program with international and Australian experts, providing the most comprehensive program on community sport recreation and sports facilities in Australia, post-covid.
The full NSC Program can be found at www.nationalsportsconvention.com.au
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Further information contact Martin Sheppard, at martins@smartconnection.net.au or (03) 9421 0133.