• Nominees of any age. Whether they are 8 or 80, as long as they are volunteering and benefiting the community in some way, we want to know about their hard work.
  
  
• Nominees who have volunteered for a non-profit organization, or those who have started their own projects or been involved in grassroots action.
  
  
• Nominees who live in Toronto and have been volunteering in Toronto. Their home postal code should start with an ‘M’.
  
  
• Nominees who have done something extraordinary. Whether they are unique because they made a big impact in a short space of time, or because they volunteered for over 20 years, or because they volunteered whilst overcoming personal challenges, we’d like to hear their story.

A few rules:

• You can’t nominate yourself, and nominators cannot be related to or living with the person they are nominating. 
  
  
• We can’t accept posthumous nominations. 
  
  
• We can only accept a maximum of two nominations from the same non-profit organization. 
  
  
• The nominee should be currently volunteering, or have volunteered sometime between January 2017 and December 2017. 
  
  
• No payment should have been made for the nominee’s volunteer contribution. The awards are about recognizing people who have given their time and energy on a voluntary basis, so they should not have received any money for their work.
  
  
• The nominee’s volunteering activities may include lobbying or advocacy work, but should not be political in nature, such as volunteering for a mayoral candidate or a political campaign, as Volunteer Toronto is a non-partisan non-profit and cannot support activities that are not politically neutral.
  
   
  
  

Frequently Asked Questions

You will need:

•Your contact details (name, email and phone number)
•The contact details of a reference we can contact if the nominee is shortlisted (name, email and phone number)
•The nominee’s first and last name
•The nominee’s postal code
•The nominee’s email address and telephone number
•The nominee’s gender and approximate age
•A description of how the nominee contributed to the community (200 words or less)
•A description of the difference their contribution made (200 words or less)
•A description of why their contribution is unique or extraordinary (200 words or less)
•Optional supporting information you may want to submit up to a maximum of three files, such as a photo of the nominee in action, statements from others about the nominee's contribution or any other supporting information you'd like the judges to review.

 
Can I nominate myself?

Unfortunately you can’t nominate yourself, but if you know someone who can nominate you, why not ask them to do so?

Can I nominate my mother/sister/partner?

 
No, unfortunately we can’t accept nominations from relatives or people who live with the nominee. If you know someone who is deserving though, consider asking one of their fellow volunteers, or their volunteer coordinator to nominate them!

Can I nominate more than one person?

We can only accept a maximum of two nominees from the same non-profit organization. You can nominate more than two people if they volunteer for different organizations. 

What will the award recipients receive?

The 25 award recipients will be presented with their award at a special ceremony on an evening during 2018 National Volunteer Week (April 15-21), the date and venue will be announced early in 2018. They will receive complimentary tickets to the event for two guests of their choice and their nominator. Additionally they will take part in a professional photo shoot, be included in Volunteer Toronto promotional materials about the awards, be featured on the Volunteers of Toronto photo blog, and may be chosen to be interviewed by local TV and newspaper stations. 

How will the award recipients be decided?

A selection committee of local community leaders, a Volunteer Toronto board member and previous award recipients, will review the applications and decide on the award recipients. The honourees will be presented with their award at a formal event held during National Volunteer Week.

How many award recipients will be chosen?

25 people will be chosen for their exceptional contribution to Toronto through volunteering. Click here to see the 2017 Legacy Award recipients. 
 

Can I nominate someone I have nominated in the past but who wasn’t chosen?

Yes, you can nominate someone who was been nominated before, but be sure to think about how that person’s contribution is exceptional from other volunteers’ and how you will communicate that in the nomination form.  

Can I nominate a business or a group of individuals?

No, all nominations must be for an individual person, rather than a group of volunteers or a business.
 

Can I nominate someone who lives or volunteers in Mississauga, Markham, Pickering, or an area outside of Toronto, but within the GTA?

All nominees must live in Toronto and have been volunteering in Toronto. Their residential postcode should start with an ‘M’. This includes Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, York and East York but does not include areas outside of the City of Toronto. Click here to see a Google Map of the City of Toronto. 
 

Can I mail in a nomination or supporting information?

All nominations should be made by completing the online form and all supporting information should be submitted through the form.