Honours and awards: volunteering

Eligibility

The person you nominate (the nominee) must:

• be between 15 and 24 years old
• be a resident of Ontario
• have volunteered for a significant amount of time with a charity, not-for-profit or person
• be a role model for other young people and inspire them to volunteer

You cannot nominate:

• yourself
• someone who has passed away
• an elected federal, provincial or municipal politician currently in office

Required information

In your nomination, you will need to provide:

• The nominee’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• The nominator’s first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• A detailed description of the nominee’s achievements.
• A minimum of 2 signed testimonial letters. The letters must be from 2 different people who are not the nominator. An electronic signature or scanned copy of the signed letters are acceptable. The testimonial writers should:
  • know the nominee
  • be able to explain the value and impact of the nominee’s achievements
  • support the nomination
• The testimonial writers’ first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Additional information

You may include additional materials if they give more insight into your nominee’s accomplishments, such as:

• supplementary testimonials
• publications
• media stories and news articles

Deadline

The deadline to nominate someone is January 15 of each year.

How to nominate someone

1. Gather all the required information.
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination through the portal.

Read our guide for tips on writing and submitting a nomination.

Selection process

An independent advisory council appointed by the Premier reviews each nomination and selects the candidates.

Medal presentation

The medals are presented at a special ceremony at Queen’s Park and hosted by the Lieutenant Governor. This usually takes place in May each year. Along with the medal, each recipient receives a framed certificate and a lapel pin.

Previous recipients

Read about the previous recipients of this medal.

Eligibility

Organizations that have been in existence for a minimum of 5 years may submit a nomination.

Each organization may nominate up to nine volunteers (of which a maximum of 6 nominees may be adults).

The nominee(s) must:

• be living persons residing and volunteering in Ontario
• not have received payment for their volunteer work
• be active beyond simple membership in an organization
• not have performed the services as part of their regular business or professional duties

A youth nominee must:

• be under 24 years old and under
• have volunteered with one organization for at least two consecutive years

An adult nominee must have volunteered with one organization for at least 5 consecutive years.

Organizations with more than one branch can submit separate nominations for up to nine volunteers for each branch.

Required information

• Nominating organization name, address, email, phone number and year established
• Volunteer first name, last name, address, email, and phone number
• Head of organization (if applicable) first name, last name, email, phone number and position title.

How to nominate someone

1. Gather the required information:
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination through the portal.

Deadline

The deadline to nominate someone is November 15 of each year. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered in the following year.

Selection process

Recipients receive a personalized certificate and lapel pin acknowledging their years of service at a local award recognition ceremony.

Award presentation

Recipients receive a personalized certificate and lapel pin acknowledging their years of service at a local award recognition ceremony.

• Outstanding Volunteer Category: recognizes an individual or group for their commitment to volunteering and longstanding service to their community. Up to 20 individuals and/or groups receive this award each year.
• Excellence in Volunteer Management Category: recognizes an individual or group from an organization that is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation or registered as a charity for their achievement in encouraging people to volunteer in their communities. Up to 5 individuals and/or groups receive this award each year.

Eligibility

The person you nominate (the nominee) must be:

• an individual or group (such as a not-for-profit or charity)
• a resident of Ontario
• a living person or an existing institution

You cannot nominate:

• yourself (unless it's a group nomination)
• someone who has passed away
• an elected politician currently in office or political appointee

Required information

To submit a nomination, you will need:

• The nominee’s first name, last name, address, email, and phone number. If you’re nominating a group, please provide a group contact.
• A detailed description the nominee’s achievements and why they should receive the award.
• At least 2 signed testimonial letters. The letters must be from 2 different people who are not the nominator. An electronic signature or scanned copy of the signed letters are acceptable. The testimonial writers should:
  • know the nominee
  • be able to explain the value and impact of the nominee’s achievements
  • support the nomination
• The testimonial writers’ first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Additional information

You may include optional supporting documents to give more insight into your nominee’s accomplishments, such as:

• supplementary testimonials
• publications
• media stories and news articles

How to nominate someone

1. Gather the required information:
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination through the portal.

Read our guide for tips on writing and submitting a nomination.

Deadline

The deadline to nominate someone is December 15 of each year. Eligible nominations received after the deadline will be considered in the following year.

Selection process

An independent selection committee reviews each nomination and recommends who should receive the award.

Award presentation

The awards are presented at a special recognition ceremony in Toronto.

Previous recipients

Read about the previous recipients of this award.

About June Callwood

June Callwood was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She committed her life to action on social justice issues, particularly those related to woman and children. She founded, or co-founded, more than 50 Canadian social action organizations.

Eligibility

Students who are graduating from an Ontario high school (public, provincial, private and demonstration).

Required information

To submit a nomination, you will need:

• The school name, address, email, phone number and year established
• The student’s first name, last name, address, email, and phone number
• The ceremony date (if available)

How to nominate someone

Only principals or a school committee that is dedicated to student recognition can nominate a graduating student for the award. School committees submitting the form will need their principal’s signature.

1. Gather the required information.
2. Create an account (or sign in for returning users) on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal.
3. Submit your nomination on the portal.

Deadline

The nomination must be submitted in the student's graduating school year.

Selection process

Once the form is submitted, the award (consisting of a certificate and lapel pin) will be delivered to the school within three to four weeks.

Award presentation

The award is presented to students by their school.

Murray Whetung Community Service Award for Cadets

Each year, a local Army Cadet Corps, Sea Cadet Corps or Air Cadet Squadron will select 1 cadet who demonstrates exceptional citizenship and community service to receive this award.

Eligibility

The recipient must be aged 12 to 18 and be part of an Ontario:

• Army and Sea Cadet Corps
• Air Cadet Squadron

Required information

• Nominee’s first and last name
• Nominee’s Army, Sea Cadet Corps, Air Cadet Squadron

How to nominate someone

An Ontario corps or squadron can nominate only 1 recipient each year.

To make a nomination, you must:

1. create an account or sign in for returning users on the Ontario Honours and Awards Portal
2. submit your nomination on the portal

Go to nomination portal

Deadline

The nomination portal is open all year, allowing nominations to be submitted at any time. However, all nominations must be submitted by the annual deadline of March 31.

Selection process

Each Army Cadet Corps, Sea Cadet Corps or Air Cadet Squadron may submit only 1 nominee annually. The nominee from each branch will be awarded this certificate.

Every Spring, following the March 31 deadline, the Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat will distribute the certificates to the Ontario Cadet Coordinator (OCC). The OCC will then distribute each certificate to the participating corps and squadrons who submitted the nomination.

Award presentation

Each participating corps and squadron will present their award during local ceremonies in June.