A flagship event of Queensland Mental Health Week, the Achievement Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals, groups and organisations working to reduce stigma and empower those living with mental illness.
Open Minds Chief Executive Officer, Kate Johnson said the annual event is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on individual and community mental health and wellbeing.
“The Queensland Mental Health Week Achievement Awards acknowledge those making an exceptional contribution in the mental health space,” said Kate. “We are proud to celebrate the individuals and organisations working tirelessly to reduce stigma around mental illness and look forward to highlighting the excellent initiatives and programs making a difference in the lives of Queenslanders.”
The annual Achievement Awards was established in 1996 in honour of Earle Duus, who received support from Open Minds following a brain injury.
Earle went on to become a successful financial accountant and philanthropist and made a generous bequest to Open Minds.
“We are excited to present the overarching winner of the Achievement Awards with the Earle Duus Award, which includes $4,000 prize money in Earle’s honour,” said Kate. “This money is intended to help the winner continue their valuable contributions in the sector.”
In 2023, the Earle Duus Award was presented to Queensland Ambulance Service for their Mental Health Response Program, providing suicide awareness training for Triple Zero operators.
There is also a $500 prize for the winner of the Jude Bugeja Lived Experience Excellence Award, generously contributed by the family of the late Jude Bugeja.
Any person, organisation or group that runs programs to support individual or community mental health and wellbeing can nominate themselves for one of the 11 award categories.
Categories include: Schools Award, Early Years Award, Jeff Cheverton Individual Award, Jude Bugeja Lived Experience Excellence Award, LGBTQIA+ Award, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Award, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Award, Not-For-Profit Organisation Award – SME (1-100 staff), Not-For-Profit Organisation Award – Large (101+ staff), Workplace Award – Community Wellbeing, Workplace Award – Employee Wellbeing.
The winners will be recognised at a ceremony in Brisbane on Friday 11 October, during Queensland Mental Health Week and close to World Mental Health Day.
Nominations close on 19 July 2024 and can be easily submitted online at: https://openminds.org.au/achievement-awards.
To attend the ceremony, sign up to the Open Minds newsletter to be informed of when tickets go on sale: https://openminds.org.au/subscribe.
ABOUT OPEN MINDS:
Open Minds is a leading provider of community mental health and psychosocial disability support services in Queensland and northern New South Wales. With more than 110 years of history, Open Minds is committed to its purpose of enabling an independent and positive future for people living in the community with mental health needs and psychosocial disabilities.
LINKS:
More about the Awards: https://openminds.org.au/achievement-awards
Video – Why nominate? https://youtu.be/O17OjpKfoXE
More about Open Minds: https://openminds.org.au/about
Subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed of finalists: https://openminds.org.au/subscribe