Awards a chance to make an impact

Posted on 25 Sep 2024

By Matthew Schulz, journalist, SmartyGrants

Guide Dogs Australia Lee Chong Genie 610x525 — Lee Chong and her dog Genie appear in the Guide Dogs 2023 impact report, which helped the organisation collect SIMNA's excellence in social impact award in 2023. Picture: Guide Dogs Australia

Australia’s leading social impact measurement awards have a new look in their 10th year.

Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA) has updated two of the four award categories: the “social impact measurement in funding, investment or grantmaking award” and the newly named “innovative design in social impact measurement award”.

These join the “excellence” and “outstanding collaboration” categories.

The awards are open to not-for-profits, social enterprises, funders, B Corps, corporates and government agencies, with nominations closing on October 11.

The awards ceremony on November 28 will feature pitches by the shortlisted nominees and a panel discussion on the latest social impact trends.

One of last year’s award winners was Hayball, which shared its innovation award with the Australian Social Value Bank for its pilot study of a Melbourne residential project.

Hayball Development CRTYRD — Innovation winner Hayball alongside the Australian Social Value Bank (ASVB) have broken new ground with their effort to measure the social value of architecture and design, using a new method linked to the Melbourne community-focused residential project CRT+YRD.

Hayball associate Eilish Barry said her organisation had been able to “connect with experts nationally and globally” as a result of the award.

“It’s opened many doors to conversations and new relationships – we are so thankful,” she said.

SIMNA co-chair Sarah Barker – also SmartyGrants’ chief technology officer – described the awards as “a terrific way to showcase the best of the best in social impact measurement in Australia”.

SmartyGrants – a sibling enterprise to the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) – has been a sponsor of the event for several years.