The Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools is a cross-sector initiative to develop student awareness and skills as active and informed citizens in a multicultural and democratic society. The initiative involves an annual competition conducted by the Department for Education and guided by the Governor's Civics Awards for Schools Reference Group.

The awards and the Australian Curriculum

The awards have been designed to align to the Australian Curriculum: History and Civics and Citizenship.

They connect with essential elements of the Australian Curriculum. These include:

• Humanities and social sciences – history, geography, civics and citizenship, economics and business.
• English, literacy strand – creating texts including texts that combine digital or media content for imaginative, informative, or persuasive purposes that reflect upon challenging and complex issues.
• Sustainability – the sustainability of ecological, social and economic systems is achieved through informed individual and community action that values local and global equity and fairness across generations into the future.
• Civics and citizenship, contribute to civil society – plan, implement and evaluate ways of contributing to civil society at local, national, regional and global levels.

2022 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools

In 2022 the awards are available for years 5 to 12 and include individual, group and school categories.

In the individual category students respond to a history and/or civics question. In the group category schools submit the work of a school group in the area of civic involvement. The schools category invites schools to nominate their civics and citizenship education program as an example of outstanding practice.

For the individual category, each school can submit a maximum of 4 entries for each year level.

For the group category, schools can submit a maximum of:

• 2 group nominations for the primary years
• 2 group nominations for the secondary years. 

The winners of the 2022 awards will be announced during December 2022. The award winners will be invited to either the Proclamation Day Ceremony on 28 December 2022, or to a reception at Government House early in 2023 to receive their awards.

Support materials

• About the Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 174KB)
• Primary school program – Governor's Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 508KB)
• Secondary school program – Governor's Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 512KB)
• Poster for Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 513KB)
• Entry support information and checklists (PDF 763KB)
• Letter to principals (PDF 248KB).

When and how to submit entries

The relevant 'entry form and declaration' for the individual, group and school categories must be submitted with your entry.

Entries must be received by Friday 16 September 2022 at 5.00pm.

Email applications to GovernorsCivicsAwards [at] sa.gov.au (subject: Governor%E2%80%99s%20Civics%20Awards%20for%20Schools) .

Entry forms

• Individual entry form and declaration (Word 134KB) 
• Group nomination form and declaration (Word 128KB)
• School nomination form and declaration (Word 127KB)

2021 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools winners

The Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools program has been conducted in South Australian schools since 2019. 

Congratulations to the following students and schools for being judged award winners in the 2021 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools.

Individual categories years 5 to 10

Year 5

• Asha Dan – Wilderness School
• Scarlett  Desyllas – Wilderness School
• Kevin Fernando – Christian Brothers' College
• Evangeline Lee – Wilderness School
• Jade Player – St Columba's Memorial School
• Nidhi Sinhal – Wilderness School

Year 6

• Manha Abaid – Wilderness School
• Olivia Craig – Munno Para Primary School
• Stirling Down – Mount Compass Area School
• Dakoyta Hopgood-Davis – Mount Compass Area School
• Ramindu Maheepala – Unley Primary School
• Alexandra Pringle – Wilderness School

Year 7

• Cloe Watherston –Munno Para Primary School
• Rhys Heinrich – Central Yorke School
• Miya Turner – Wallaroo Primary School

Year 8

• Sasindu Maheepala –Glenunga International High School
• Ehdaa Al-Tamimi – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College

Year 9

• Charlotte Lockwood – Horizon Christian School

Year 10

• Bich-Loan Nguyen – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College

Group Category: Primary

Linden Park Primary School

• Prisha Khanna
• Aniela Kierno
• Alexa Matthews
• Nathan Ng
• Isabelle Relf

SACE Category

• Charlotte Brown – Saint Michael's College
• Ruby Evangelista – University Senior College at Adelaide University
• Matt Goldwyn – University Senior College at Adelaide University
• Kalea Healey – Pulteney Grammar School
• Sophie Heinrich – Central Yorke School
• Arianna Kasumovic –Underdale High School
• James Kortessis – Saint Michael's College
• Ellie Venning – Marryatville High School 

The majority of the 2021 awardees received their awards at a reception at Government House in 2022. The 2021 Primary Years Individual category awardees were presented with their awards by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC at the Old Gum Tree Ceremony on Proclamation Day 2021.