Nominations open for Local Celebration Awards 2022

Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Nominations are now open for the 2022 Local Celebration Awards – the award program that recognises people of all ages who go above and beyond, volunteer their time to make Penrith a great place to live, or work tirelessly for the benefit of others and the community.

Penrith Mayor Tricia Hitchen said that after several difficult years which have presented unprecedented challenges, there’s never been a better time to shine a light on the dedicated, selfless and inspirational people who are making a difference in Penrith.

“In 2021, we were overwhelmed by the outstanding calibre of entries for the inaugural Local Celebration Awards – so much so that the judges awarded multiple winners for several of the categories,” Cr Hitchen said.

“As a result, we had seven winners rather than four and I congratulate them heartily: Kristine Gauci, Daena Madon, Cathy and Marzi DeSanti, Gloria Lenon, Robert Rayner, Michael Allen, and Veronica Nou,” she said.

“I encourage residents and our wider community to put forward a nomination for the 2022 Local Celebration Awards – this is your chance to shine a light on the heroes who make us all proud to be part of this city.”

Nominations for the 2022 Local Celebration Awards are open until 29 April 2022, and submissions will be accepted over the counter, online, by mail and by video.

There are four award categories to choose from:
• Citizen of the Year (over 18yrs old)
• Young Citizen of the Year (aged under 17yrs old)
• Mayor’s Local Heroes Award (all ages)
• Making a Difference – Community Service Award (all ages).

The award recipients will be announced at Council’s Ordinary Meeting in July 2022.

Following the announcement in July, the Local Celebration Award winners will be formally recognised at a Civic Reception event held in August 2022.

Find out more about the award program, the selection criteria, and how to nominate at: penrith.city/local-celebration-awards

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Tuesday, 8 February 2022.