MEMBER DIRECTORY QJA AWARDS

Each year since 2016 the QJA has recognised members and branches for their dedication and commitment to providing outstanding services to their local communities. Awards are presented at the annual State conference. Unfortunately, due to the inability to hold the State conference as planned in November 2020 no awards will be conferred this year. But the awards will be back in conjunction with the State conference on 15 May 2021. The winners will be announced at the Conference Dinner. Due to the current pandemic and associated restrictions, many members and branches have found it quite challenging to hold regular meetings and deliver professional services in the usual way during 2020. Despite these challenges some have adopted innovative ways of remaining connected with colleagues and with their local community. Perhaps your branch has overcome barriers and has thrived during 2020 and is worthy of a nomination for Branch of the Year. Maybe some of your members have adopted innovative or unique practices that have enabled them to continue to provide services that could see them take home the Member of the Year award, or Emerging Leader of the year award. Nominations for the 2021 QJA awards must be submitted by 28 February 2021. There are four award categories:  Member of the Year  Community Engagement  Branch of the Year  Emerging Leader The judging panel is looking for branches, activities and members that stand out from the rest; Branches that have been innovative and proactive in keeping their branch active. Access the forms and judging criteria can be found at

Here are a few tips to help you with your nomination.

• use an easy to read font, such as Arial 11 point • use single line spacing in paragraphs, and double line spacing between paragraphs • Include page numbers • It is a good idea to include paragraph headings as this will make it easier for the judging panel to read • try using the evaluation criteria as paragraph headings – this will help the judging panel enormously, as it will be easy to find the information they are looking for • ensure you proof read the document before submitting it

Each submission, in all four categories, will be evaluated against the following five criteria. The judging panel will allocate a score depending on how well each criterion is addressed, so it is important that you cover each section.

In this paragraph you might include: • how the branch or nominated member connected with other QJA members, or introduced them to branch activity • what you did to help grow the QJA membership

In this paragraph you might talk about: • the professional development activities you held, such as workshops, in house presentations or guest speakers • whether the nominated member participated in or delivered professional development activities • did you offer mentoring opportunities or did the nominated member mentor new JPs and Cdecs?

In this paragraph you might talk about: • what your branch or the nominated member did to raise the profile of the QJA • whether you display QJA branded banners or other merchandise at community events • how you promote the branch and QJA at local community events • perhaps you submitted items / photos to the local paper or online publications

In this paragraph you might include: • whether you participated in or provided services at local community events such as school fetes or special interest groups or minority groups • whether you partnered with other community groups to support the local community

Given that this year has presented some significant challenges, in this paragraph you might talk about how your branch or nominated member overcame and managed barriers and restrictions such as: • social distancing • additional hand hygiene procedures • preventing the spread of infection • providing services to clients within the limitations imposed by Government and local authorities • the use of physical barriers, masks or screens Finally, make sure you get your entry in on time before the closing date.

The outcome of the recent state government election has seen Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk returned to office and with her some new faces in the Cabinet. Of interest to JPs and Cdecs is the appointment of the new Attorney-General. Shannon Fentiman MP has been named as Queensland’s