The 2025 Provincial Volunteer Awards will be held on Monday September 29th

Nominations for the 2025 Provincial Volunteer Awards are now open, deadline is May 30th, 2025, 11:59pm

Representative (individual) Volunteer of the Year Award

Every municipality and First Nations community in Nova Scotia selects one or more representative volunteer to receive the provincial award. Contact your municipality or First Nations community for details on applications and nominations.

Specialty Awards

A citizens' selection committee chooses the specialty award winners from the nominations received.

**NEW** Newcomer Volunteer Award

The Newcomer Volunteer of the Year Award (NVOTY) is a new award announced in 2024 to mark the 50th annual Provincial Volunteer Awards.

The award honours newcomers to Nova Scotia from another country, who have demonstrated extraordinary outreach and volunteerism to their new communities.

Nova Scotia has seen many examples of newcomers to Nova Scotia who have overcome barriers of language, culture, and unfamiliar surroundings to unselfishly give of themselves to their communities.

Eligibility

• An individual or group residing in Nova Scotia who has been resident/s in Canada for no more than 5 years.
• Applicants are permitted to nominate themselves or nominations can be made on behalf of the nominee.
• Nominee/s must give consent to being nominated.

Newcomer Volunteer Award Form

Youth Volunteer Award

A citizens' selection committee chooses the specialty award winners from the nominations received.

Nominees for the Provincial Youth Volunteer Award must:

• be a volunteer aged 13 to 24
• have made a significant contribution to a range of causes, for at least 2 years
• be willing to be nominated
• have not previously received this award

Youth Volunteer Award Nomination Form

Family Volunteer Award

Nominees for the Family Volunteer Award must:

• have demonstrated volunteer leadership and consistent caring for their community for at least 5 years
• be a family of 2 or more people (not a couple), living in the same community
• be willing to be nominated
• have not previously received this award

Family Volunteer Award Nomination form

Nova Scotia Strong Award

The Nova Scotia Strong Award recognizes an individual or group who come together to demonstrate resiliency in community during a time or event when people faced tragedy and struggle. Recipients will show that strength comes from community and the deep level of caring Nova Scotians have for one another.

Nominees for the Nova Scotia Strong Award can be individuals, groups or organizations. They must be residents of Nova Scotia, and willing to be nominated.

Applicants can nominate themselves, or someone else can nominate them.

NS Strong Award Nomination form