Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools

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.

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Award ceremony video

Watch the video of Award presentations and hear from some previous award recipients at Government House.

Video transcript

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC: Everyone's got something to contribute, whatever their background, whatever's happened in their lives, wherever they come from and I think we really need to be actively encouraging everyone to have a voice.

Dakoyta: HASS is one of my favourite lessons at school and I've always enjoyed learning about history.

Bich-Loan: We had to talk about an environmental or social trouble that we were currently having.

Susindu: I wanted to respond to a question from inside and respond with an authentic answer.

Miya: I did mine based on disabilities and I know a lot of people with disabilities and they've read my awards and they've felt a lift up reading it and so I'm proud of that.

Bich-Loan: I decided to go with the gender pay gap and its impacts.

Dakoyta: I'm very excited that I'm here today because I've never been to the Government House before and I got to meet the Governor.

Susindu: It feels really good because this motivates me to in the future be an active citizen, help out with my community.

Bich-Loan: I had to come in and do a roundtable discussion. That was a cool experience.

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC: The Governor's Civics Awards for Schools are open to all students across the state from year 5 to year 12. They can enter as individuals, they can enter as a group and it's about providing recognition for great work that we know is happening in civics across the state. And I love nothing more as governor than giving recognition and acknowledgement for fantastic work done.

Bich-Loan: I'd say to just go for it, like even if you don't win as such it's still a great opportunity to learn more about South Australian society.

Dakoyta: It's a great opportunity to have some fun and this essay was really enjoyable to write it.

Susindu: Enter, it's the best and it helps you in the future as well.

End of transcript.

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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.

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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

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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@sa.gov.au.

Entry forms

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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.

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