2012 International Women’s Day Awards nominees sought

Nominations are now open for the 2012 ACT International Women’s Day Awards, .ACT Minister for Women Joy Burch saidthe awards were an opportunity to honour the considerable contributions of inspiring and successful women in our community.“I urge all Canberrans to consider the wonderful contributions and achievements of the women they know and to take the first step to having them recognised by nominating them for an International Women’s Day Award,” Ms Burch said.The theme for the 2012 International Women’s Day Awards is ‘respect and recognition’. Nominations are open for individual women or groups that have made significant contributions to gender equality in our community.International Women Day was first celebrated in 1911 when more than a million European women and men rallied for the right of women to vote, work and hold public office. “The past century has seen International Women’s Day draw women together in unity and friendship to celebrate achievements and highlight current social, economic and political issues.“Women make significant and often extraordinary contributions to our community in a variety of ways. “However, more men than women receive formal recognition for their contributions and efforts. This is because often, far fewer women are nominated for awards and honours than men.”Nomination forms are available online at www.women.act.gov.au or by contacting the
ACT Office for Women on 6205 0515. Nominations close at 5pm Friday 20 January 2012.