Camden Council staff celebrate their 2025 AR Bluett Award win.
2 June 2026
81st AR Bluett Awards – applications open now
The AR Bluett Memorial Trustees invite your council to enter local government’s most prestigious award: the AR Bluett Memorial Award.
Since 1945, the AR Bluett Memorial Award has been recognised as the greatest accolade a council can receive. It celebrates councils that have reached the pinnacle of local government achievement.
Councils across NSW continue to demonstrate excellence in the face of challenging circumstances, delivering outstanding outcomes for their communities.
Now in its 81st year, the AR Bluett Memorial Award is an opportunity for the achievements of your council and your employees to be celebrated and recognised.
Each year, the AR Bluett Trustees invite all councils in NSW to submit an application. Councils will be assessed on their relative progress and achievements made during the 2025/2026 financial year, ensuring fair consideration regardless of size or available resources.
Projects and initiatives started in previous years may also be included, provided councils clearly outline the current status of the project or initiative at the time of submission. This year, Trustees have reduced the application fee for councils with a population under 10,000.
The winning councils of the 81st Bluett Awards will be announced at the LGNSW Annual Conference in Wollongong, from 22-24 November 2026.
Winning councils in both categories (metro/major regional, and rural) are awarded bronze plaques to permanently record the achievement, as well as $5,000 for the Stephen Ward scholarship for professional development for one of your employees.
Entries are open now and will close on 31 July 2026.
Further information and application details are available online.