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.

2021 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools

In 2021 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 2021 awards will be announced during December 2021. The award winners will be invited to either the Proclamation Day Ceremony on 28 December 2021, or to a reception at Government House early in 2022 to receive their awards.

Support materials

• About the Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 258KB)
• Brochure for Governor's Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 585KB)
• Poster for Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools (PDF 1.1MB)
• Entry support information and checklist (PDF 763KB)

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 17 September 2021 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)

2020 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools

2020 was the first year of full implementation for the Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools. The program was open to students from year 5 to 12 and involved entries for individual, group and school categories.

Congratulations to the following students and schools for being judged award winners in the 2020 Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools.

Individual category: primary

Year 5:

• Alexandra Pringle – Wilderness School
• Isis Schulte – Central Yorke School
• Parth Raina – Christian Brothers' College

Year 6:

• Sandra Pushpangadan – Wilderness school
• Miya Turner – Wallaroo Primary School
• Lucinda Allen – Central Yorke School
• Matilda Palin – Central Yorke School

Year 7:

• Sasinda Maheepala – Unley Primary School
• Marnie Dempster – Wallaroo Primary School

Individual category: secondary

Year 8:

• Sahibjot Kaur – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College

Year 9:

• Shinepreet Kaur – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
• Ezra Lockwood – Horizon Christian School

Group category: primary

Kingston Community School:

• Kate Parker
• Charley Robinson
• Lara Harrison
• Benjamin Holman

School category

Wallaroo Primary School – key teachers:

• Dominica Thomson
• Jessica Martin
• Emma Lukong

Kingscote Education Centre School – key teacher:

• Eliza Cruse

SACE category

• Danielle Menadue: Golden Grove High School
• Joel Davidson: Endeavour College
• Samoda Silva: Adelaide High School
• William Gillett: Loxton High School
• Jasmine Tovakuta: Immanuel College
• Mille Brown: Sacred Heart College

The 2020 award winners received their awards at a reception at Government House on 17 February 2021. The 2020 individual winners were presented with their awards by His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC at the Old Gum Tree Ceremony on Proclamation Day 2020.