Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence to recognise unsung heroes of the Sikh community

The Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence is a new initiative launched by Sikh Youth Australia (SYA) and the Young Sikh Professionals Network (YSPN) aimed at recognising and celebrating the contributions of individuals of the Sikh faith towards the broader Australian community. Awards will recognise excellence across eight categories.

Key Points

• Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence winners will be announced in June.
• The awards aim to recognise contributions of individuals of the Sikh faith towards the broader Australian community.

The initiative, which was launched in Sydney on Monday, aims to commend those individuals from the Sikh community who have gone over and beyond in their contribution to the socioeconomic development of Australia.

With similar programs running in the UK and Middle East, this is the first national program of its kind to identify and celebrate Sikh role models across the country.

Guests at the ASAE launch event in Sydney. Credit: Ranjit Singh Khera

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja, a Partner at McKinsey & Company, will chair the national panel that will assess the nominations for the awards.

During the launch event, Mr Ahuja said ASAE provides a unique opportunity to recognise and celebrate the inspiring achievements of Sikh individuals in Australia.

“Through this initiative, we hope to provide a platform for these unsung heroes to receive recognition for their exceptional work and inspire others to follow in their footsteps," he said.

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The awards were launched by the Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, in the presence of many distinguished guests and Sikh achievers, including Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra and the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Harinder Sidhu.

Mr Manpreet Vohra, Indian High Commissioner to Australia (L) and Ms Harinder Sidhu, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand. Credit: Ranjit Singh Khera

Speaking at the event, Ms Sidhu said there are so many people out there who are doing great things in their communities who are worthy of recognition.

“We are trying to demonstrate the values that Indians and Sikhs, in particular, are bringing to this multicultural, diverse and strong society," she said.

Sikh achievers and representatives at the Australian Sikh Awards for Excellence launch event in Sydney. Credit: Ranjit Singh Khera

Spread across eight categories, the awards will focus on the significance of the contribution made by the individual in one of the eight key domains:

• Excellence in Agriculture
• Excellence in Arts, Culture or Music
• Excellence in Community Service
• Excellence in Leadership
• Excellence in a Professional Field
• Excellence in Sports
• Australian Sikh Woman of the Year
• Young Australian Sikh of the Year (under 30 years)

The nominations for ASAE will close at 11:59 pm on 20 May 2023, and the winners will be announced on 17 June 2023 at the awards night at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney.

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