Recognising excellence in the early careers industry

AGRIAs Categories

The AGRIAs categories have grown and developed over the years as our industry has evolved (see the Winners pages over the years to see how the categories have changed).

Every year we conduct a review of the AGRIAs to improve and develop the categories as well as the process for selecting the finalists and eventual winners.

Our general approach is to use the opinions and perspectives of employers, graduates, interns, candidates or delegates to determine the Finalists and Winners in each category. In many cases, we collect votes or ratings for awards via one of the AAGE's annual surveys. This enables us to seek input from a large group of diverse people for each award.

Download the 2025 AGRIAs Entry Guidelines here!

2025 AGRIA Categories

1A. Will Spensley Memorial Award for Innovation - Employer Member Category

Innovation is the process of creating, developing and implementing new ideas, methods, processes, products or other new concepts that that have a significant positive impact and value. It is about identifying and addressing unmet needs or challenges by thinking creatively and departing from established practices.

The aim of this Award is to recognise AAGE Employer members that have been the most innovative in the Australian market over the past 12 months.

The innovative initiative must be new to the early careers market and/or the organisation and can be anything to do with the attraction, recruitment & selection, induction & development of graduates or interns. The innovation should be driven by a clear goal to address a specific need or improve outcomes, delivered in a way that is both unique and creative.

If the innovation has been created for an Employer member in conjunction with an Associate Member (supplier or university), the Employer should submit for the award and include the Associate Member’s name and contribution in the submission.

The innovation must have been developed and executed by the Australian team and therefore projects developed by teams in your organisation outside Australia and implemented or used by the Australian team do not qualify for consideration for this award.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 1000 words in Word format) which introduces your innovation and clearly addresses the judging criteria.
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which provides a supporting document such as a photo, templates used or links to social media but this should not include further detail about the innovation as this should be confined to the document.

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

What was the challenge, opportunity, or situation that this innovation aimed to address?
What were the strategic links to early careers? (e.g. highlight links to digital innovation, candidate experience, capability building, onboarding, or program development.
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the innovation?

Innovation and Delivery

Describe the initiative and explain why it is considered innovative (e.g. not previously seen in the market, early adoption of technology, a new application of an existing idea, or inspired by other models).
Was the innovation a completely new idea, an iteration or re-engineering of past work, or adapted from elsewhere?
Demonstrate the creativity behind the innovation – what sets its development and execution apart?
How was the innovation launched, implemented, and integrated into your early careers or talent strategy?

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved? Did the innovation meet its strategic objectives?
Who benefitted from the innovation and how was this measured?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded
Will the initiative be sustained or scaled in the future?

If you are unclear if your planned submission meets the criteria for innovation you can submit a synopsis of your planned submission (up to 250 words) by July 17th 2025 and the AGRIAs subcommittee will review and advise before you complete the full submission for the award.

1A. Will Spensley Memorial Award for Innovation - Associate Member Category

The aim of this Award is to recognise AAGE Associate Members (Industry associations, supplier partners or universities) that have been the most innovative in the Australian market over the past 12 months.

The innovative initiative must be new to the early careers market and/or the organisation and/or to the client you are partnering with and can be anything to do with the engagement and attraction, recruitment & selection, support and development of development of students, graduates, interns or early career professionals and graduate managers. The innovation should be driven by a clear goal to address a specific need or improve outcomes, delivered in a way that is both unique and creative.

If the innovation has been created for or delivered in partnership with an Employer, the Associate Member must have the permission of that Employer to use them and their project as the basis for their submission and include the Employer’s name and contribution in the submission.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 1000 words in Word format) which introduces your innovation and clearly addresses the judging criteria.
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which provides a supporting document such as a photo, templates used or links to social media but this should not include further detail about the innovation as this should be confined to the document.

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

What was the challenge, opportunity, or situation that this innovation aimed to address?
What were the strategic links to early careers? (e.g. highlight links to digital innovation, student or candidate experience, capability building, or program development.
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the innovation?

Innovation and Delivery

Describe the initiative and explain why it is considered innovative (e.g. not previously seen in the market, early adoption of technology, a new application of an existing idea, or inspired by other models).
Was the innovation a completely new idea, an iteration or re-engineering of past work, or adapted from elsewhere?
Demonstrate the creativity behind the innovation – what sets its development and execution apart?
How was the innovation launched, implemented and integrated into your service offering or strategy?

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved? Did the innovation meet its strategic objectives?
Who benefitted from the innovation and how was this measured?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded
Will the initiative be sustained or scaled in the future?

Who was Will Spensley?

Will was a talented, driven and intelligent man with a passionate interest in graduate recruitment and innovation. Will pioneered and continuously contributed to many initiatives in the recruitment industry. He was co-founder of Acendre (originally NGA.NET), which in 1998 delivered the first web-based searchable resume database in Australia.

Together with Elizabeth O’Leary in May 2001, Will created Pinpoint HRM (originally Catch22, later named Talent Zone). Despite the name changes, the business has remained true to Will’s original vision – to be a specialist corporate advisory firm raising the awareness of (and assisting employers to adopt) the latest developments in recruitment.

Will partnered closely with the AAGE for a number of years, as the AAGE vision aligned with Will’s belief in developing and improving the graduate industry through innovation. He worked closely with Katrina Harrington to develop the inaugural Australasian Graduate Recruitment Benchmarking Survey, which was released in February 2003.

Now known as the Employer Survey, this study makes up part of a full suite of innovative reports provided by the AAGE. Tragically in September 2003, at age 34, Will passed away from conditions associated with a rare illness. Will is constantly missed by all who knew him.

In 2004, the AAGE decided to celebrate Will’s life, passion and commitment to the recruitment industry by dedicating an award as part of the AGRIAs. The Will Spensley Memorial Award for Innovation celebrates originality, creativity and impact…just like Will.

2. Outstanding Integrated Marketing Campaign

This Award is designed to recognise employers that have displayed excellence across their whole marketing campaign. This can include, but is not limited to, brochures, adverts, websites, social media and videos.

This Award is open for submissions from Employer Members only. If the campaign was developed in conjunction with an Associate Member or other provider, please include their name and contribution in the submission.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 800 words in Word format) which introduces your marketing campaign and clearly addresses the judging criteria.
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which provides up to 3 examples from your marketing campaign in support of your award submission for consideration (for example 1 x link to a web page, 1 x social media post and 1 x link to a video or a PDF with imagery (3 pages max). Words in these examples are not included in the 800 word limit.

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

What was the campaign strategy, its goals and intended outcomes?
What were the key aspects of the content and the mediums chosen to deliver this content? (for example what was you key brand message or GVP and which components did you select to focus on: social media, website, video etc)
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the content?

Creativity and Delivery

Outline the key visuals and marketing content and how this design aligned the marketing collateral with the stated campaign objectives
Was the concept a completely new idea, an iteration or re-engineering of past work, or adapted from elsewhere?
Demonstrate the originality of the campaign – what sets its development and execution apart?

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved? Did the campaign meet its stated objectives?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded

3. Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

This award seeks to recognise an employer whose diversity and inclusion program, initiative, strategy or approach is creating meaningful change for their early careers pipeline, and is making a demonstrable difference to diversity and inclusion in their organisation.

This award category is open to submissions from Employer Members only. If the initiative was developed in conjunction with an Associate Member or other provider, please include their name and contribution in the submission.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 1000 words in Word format) which introduces your initiative and clearly addresses the judging criteria.
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which provides a supporting document such as a photo, templates used or links to social media but this should not include further detail about the initiative as this should be confined to the document.

Criteria

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

Outline the diversity and inclusion strategy, initiative or program.
What was the challenge, opportunity, or situation that this strategy aimed to address? What will success look like?
How have you incorporated this initiative into your early careers strategy and program?
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the strategy, initiative or program?

Delivery

Provide details of how the strategy, initiative or program is being launched, implemented and integrated into your program.
Demonstrate the ways in which meaningful change is being made.

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved?
Who benefitted from the strategy, initiative or project and how was this measured?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded
Will the initiative be sustained or scaled in the future?

4. Outstanding Early Careers Team

This award seeks to recognise the teams that have collectively contributed to the success of early careers initiatives (e.g., internships, graduate programs, apprenticeships) over the past 12 months and positioned early career programs as a strategic partner in their organisaton.

This award category is open to submissions from Employer Members only. For the purposes of this award a team can consist of two (2) or more people and can be made up of any combination of talent acquisition, recruitment, development or program management team members.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 1000 words in Word format) which introduces your team and clearly addresses the judging criteria.
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which provides a supporting document such as a photo, templates used or links to social media but this should not include further detail about the initiative as this should be confined to the document.

Criteria

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

Describe how the team developed and executed a strategy for early careers that aligns with broader organisational goals.
What organisational challenges or objectives did it address?
How did the team demonstrate thought leadership in the early careers space?

Collaboration and Delivery

What leadership behaviours were demonstrated within the team?
How did the team work collaboratively to drive a culture of performance and deliver results?
Were there any cross-functional or stakeholder partnerships that enhanced outcomes?
What communication or engagement strategies were used to build internal and external support for early careers?

Outcomes and Results

How did the team contribute to the success of the early careers program or organisational strategies - provide measurable outcomes that demonstrate the team’s impact. (for example program reach, candidate experience, DEI outcomes, employee engagement or talent retention)
How has the team impacted the profile of early careers as a critical part of talent acquisition and development within the organisation or industry?

5. Outstanding Careers Service

This Award is designed to recognise Career Services and excellence and innovation in the delivery of their resources, tools and employer engagement during the past twelve months.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 800 words in Word format) which introduces your initative or project
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which could include a photo, template or testimonial from an employer partner that supports your written dosument. This does not count towards the word count but testimonials should be limited to 200 words or less.

If your initiative or project was delivered in conjunction with or shares information about an Employer the Associate Member must have the permission of that Employer to use them and their project as the basis for their submission and include the Employer’s name and contribution in the submission.

Criteria

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

Outline a service, product or employer partnership that you have delivered in the past twelve months.
What was the challenge or problem your service / product / partnership was going to address or the goal you were trying to reach?
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the initiative, service or program?

Creativity and Delivery

Describe the initiative and what sets its development and execution apart? (e.g. not previously seen in the market, early adoption of technology, a new application of an existing idea, or inspired by other models).
How does your project contribute to the early careers industry more broadly? (for example accessibility and inclusivity, scalability)

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved? Did the project / partnership meet its stated objectives?
Who benefitted from the initiative and how was this measured?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded

6. Outstanding Industry Partner

This Award is designed to recognise Industry Association and Supplier Partner excellence and innovation in the delivery of their services and employer engagement during the past twelve months.

Submission Details

A written document (up to 800 words in Word format) which introduces your initative or project
Tables of statistics or data in support of the submission included in the document do not count towards the word count.
You can include one appendix which could include a photo, template or testimonial from an employer partner that supports your written dosument. This does not count towards the word count but testimonials should be limited to 200 words or less.

Criteria

The Finalists for this Award will be selected by a judging panel based on the following criteria:

Strategy and Objective Setting

Outline a a service, product or employer partnership that you have delivered in the past twelve months.
What was the challenge or problem your service / product / partnership was going to address or the goal you were trying to reach?
How were key stakeholders engaged in developing and delivering the initiative, service or program?

Creativity and Delivery

Describe the initiative and explain what sets its development and execution apart? (e.g. not previously seen in the market, early adoption of technology, a new application of an existing idea, or inspired by other models).
How does your project contribute to the early careers industry more broadly? (for example accessibility and inclusivity, scalability).

Impact and Outcomes

What outcomes were achieved? Did the project / partnership meet its stated objectives?
Who benefitted from the initiative and how was this measured?
Detail the key measures of success (qualitative and/or quantitative) and include data or metrics to demonstrate if they were met or exceeded

7 & 8. Outstanding Graduate Program (Graduate intakes under 50 & Graduate intakes over 50)

The aim of these awards is to recognise the employers that provide their graduates with the best overall experience during their first 12 months of employment.

There is no requirement to enter this Award Category.

The Finalists are determined from responses to the AAGE's annual Graduate Survey. This survey summarises the views and experiences of up to 3,000 graduates who have been in employment for around 12 months. Graduates are given a series of questions where they can rate the quality of their experiences during their first year of employment.

The Finalists for Outstanding Graduate Program are the organisations who received the highest average ratings from their graduates.

9 & 10. Outstanding Intern Program (Intern intakes under 50 & Intern intakes over 50)

The aim of this award is to recognise the employers that provide their interns with the best overall experience during their internship program. An internship program refers to a period of work experience offered by an employer to an undergraduate student during their degree. We use "Internship" as a generic description for a range of work experience programs such as clerkships, vacation work, summer placements, industry based learning etc.

There is no requirement to enter this Award Category.

The Finalists are determined from responses to the AAGE's annual Intern Survey. This survey summarises the views and experiences of up to 1,600 interns who have taken part in an internship program with an employer. Interns are given a series of questions where they can rate the quality of their experiences during their internship program.

The Finalists for Outstanding Internship Program are the organisations who received the highest average ratings from their interns.

11, 12 & 13. Outstanding Graduate Recruiter (Large, Medium & Small Programs)

The aim of this award is to recognise the work of individual graduate recruitment staff who carry out the recruitment process on behalf of their employer.

There is no requirement to enter this Award Category.

The Finalists are determined from responses to the AAGE's annual Candidate Survey. This survey summarises the views of up to 3,000 candidates who have participated in selection processes and have been offered graduate employment with at least one employer. As part of the survey, candidates are asked the following question:

"Please name the one representative, and the company they belong to, who made the most positive impression on you during your job search"

Candidates are then given a free text box so that they could name anybody they wished - they do not necessarily have to name somebody from the organisation they are joining.

The responses to this question typically nominate over 600 different recruiters from around 200 different organisations.

The Finalists for Outstanding Graduate Recruiter are the people who received the most votes in response to this question.

14. Most Popular Exhibitor

This award is designed to recognise the exhibitors who exhibit at the AAGE Annual Conference.

There is no requirement to enter this Award Category.

The Finalists for this Award are the exhibitors at the AAGE Annual Conference who received the most votes from delegates.

Terms and Conditions of Entry

Before confirming your entry, please ensure you read and agree to our Terms & Conditions below. Please ensure you read and consider each point carefully, as some terms may change from year to year.

(1) Entry to these Awards is restricted to current financial members and organisations must have been financial members of the AAGE for a minimum 8 weeks when submissions open.

(2) Only ONE entry per organisation in each award category will be accepted.

(3) Organisations cannot submit the same entry for subsequent years.

(4) All entries must be submitted in their entirety by the closing date. No entries will be accepted after the closing date.

(5) All of these submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel and assessed based on criteria rather than a popular vote. All members are invited to nominate to participate in an AGRIAs judging panel.

(6) Your submission may also be shown at the AAGE Annual Conference which takes place from Wednesday 22 October to Friday 24 October 2025 in Brisbane.

(7) If your organisation is selected as a finalist for this Award, then a representative from your organisation MUST attend the AAGE Gala Dinner in Brisbane to potentially accept the trophy. The Gala Dinner takes place from 6.30pm to 12am, Thursday 23rd October, 25. (Registration can be made via the AAGE Conference web page at www.aage.com.au/conference)

(8) If your organisation is selected as a finalist for this Award, then a representative from your organisation MAY be invited to deliver a presentation on the material provided in your submission during the AAGE Conference which takes place from Wednesday 22 October to Friday 24 October 2025 in Brisbane. Alternatively, you MAY be invited to present at one of our in person or virtual events in 2026. This will allow AAGE members to hear from the organisations who have been selected as finalists in this award category.

(9) Full details of the Award categories, definitions, eligibility, criteria, entry and decision process are shown on the AGRIAs webpage at www.aage.com.au/agrias.

(10) The Awards decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into. No feedback will be provided for unsuccessful entries.

Email: info@aage.com.au
Phone: +61 3 9352 5062
Address:
PO Box 1217
Camberwell VIC 3124 Australia