Eligibility and criteria
Self-nominations are accepted for all categories, except the Police category.
No, nominees and businesses must be residing, and operating, in Victoria and the nomination activity must be specific to Victoria.
Yes, for all categories of the MAEs. However, the business, organisation, sole trader or corporation must be established or run by a person or people with a multicultural background or their work must be dedicated to multiculturalism in Victoria.
Only individuals can be nominated for the Multicultural Honour Roll.
Yes. A business can submit a nomination, but we require the name of an individual who will represent the nomination.
Yes. An individual can be nominated for up to two (2) award categories. An organisation can only be nominated for one (1) category. However, an individual or organisation can only win one (1) award.
Yes, you can nominate someone to whom you are related. However, referees cannot be relatives.
The Victorian Government committed to establishing Multicultural Victoria in response to Victoria’s Multicultural Review.
Multicultural Victoria will bring together the functions of the VMC and the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Multicultural Affairs branch to better meet the needs of our diverse communities.
The 2026 MAEs will continue under Multicultural Victoria.
Yes, it is your responsibility as the nominator to inform the nominee, whether individual or team/organisation, that you have nominated them. You must gain consent to share their details.
We are unable to accept video or audio nominations. However, you can provide video or audio materials as supporting documents.
If you have accessibility requirements or other considerations that may impact your ability to make a submission, contact awards@vmc.vic.gov.au.
Yes, if they meet the Media Award eligibility criteria.
Referees
A referee is a person who knows the nominee well and can confirm their achievements and information about the project or activity for which they are being nominated. They should know about this nomination and may be called by VMC staff to verify information
No. You cannot be a referee for someone to whom you are related.
No. The process is designed so that there are three (3) people who support the nomination – one (1) person who nominates them (you), and two (2) other people who support the nomination by acting as referees.
No. You must provide at least two (2) support letters or supporting documents, however, support letters do not have to be from the referees.
Nominations and recipients
Nominations are assessed by a panel consisting of representatives from the VMC and relevant government and/or sector organisations with expertise in multicultural affairs.
There will be two (2) recipients for each category (except Police) — one organisational recipient and one individual recipient. There will be up to 20-25 individuals inducted into the Multicultural Honour Roll.
You will receive a confirmation email from Award Force.
Yes. You can edit your nomination after submitting, up until the closing date. Once nominations close, you can no longer make edits.
September 2026. All nominators will receive notification of the outcome by email. All nominees will also be notified.
Awards will be presented at an official ceremony in October 2026 in Melbourne's CBD. Full details will be shared with the relevant nominators and recipients when advised on the outcome.
Yes. If you cannot attend the awards ceremony, your award can either be accepted by a representative on your behalf or sent to you by mail.
The VMC is committed to enabling members of the public to raise concerns or make complaints when they have a problem with the services, actions or decisions provided or taken by VMC employees. We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible and to learn from complaints to improve our work.
In administering the MAEs, the VMC follows robust governance and internal processes to ensure the Awards are fair, equitable and administered with integrity.
If you wish to provide feedback or make a complaint about the MAEs, please refer to the VMC complaints process here(opens in a new window).
Updated