Outstanding Social Work Awards
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ ABOUT THE AWARDS
1. Why is the Outstanding Social Worker Award refreshed?
For 25 years, the Outstanding Social Worker Award has been a cornerstone of the social work profession, a powerful symbol of pride and identity conferred by the President of Singapore. While the 2024 award marked the final edition of that format, the message from our fraternity is clear and united: the OSWA legacy must continue. The revised structure retains the essence of OSWA and reflects feedback on the importance of sustaining OSWA’s identity, but with an updated focus on recognising excellence in social work practice and its impact across the sector rather than individual accolades.
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2. What is the Outstanding Social Work Awards? How is the award different from the original Outstanding Social Worker Award?
While the original Outstanding Social Worker Award aimed to recognise the outstanding contributions made by dedicated social workers to the society, the refreshed Outstanding Social Work Awards recognises the collective impact of social work practice across the sector, beyond individual accolades.
In short, the refreshed Outstanding Social Work Awards focuses on recognising the work done – whether team-based or system-level efforts, sectoral leadership, innovation and social impact.
3. What is the difference between OSWA (Practice) and OSWA (Practice Research)?
The Outstanding Social Work Award (Practice) is given out to recognise an outstanding Social Work initiative or project that epitomises the purpose, value, and impact of the Social Work profession in Singapore.
The Outstanding Social Work Award (Practice Research) is given out to honour an outstanding research study conducted by a social worker or a team of social workers that has advanced advocacy for an issue and/or improved social work practice.
4. Will there be an Award Ceremony for the winners?
The Award Ceremony will be held at Celebrating Social Work Excellence, SASW’s annual event to celebrate Social Work Day.
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5. What does the Award prize consist of?
Each winning individual/team will get the following:
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Cash Prize of $5,000 sponsored by ExxonMobil
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A plaque
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A certificate
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A dedicated media campaign will also spotlight the award winners and their projects across professional platforms, mainstream media, and social media, helping to strengthen the public image and recognition of the social work profession.
6. How can the cash prize be used?
Winners will be encouraged to use the cash prize for training and outreach purposes, for example, giving back to the sector and the region by producing outputs such as conference presentations, publications, seminars, or training workshops.
SASW may reach out to the winners post-award to follow up on the utilisation of the cash awards and/or any progress on their project/research for publicity purposes and reporting to Sponsor.
7. How often will these Awards take place?
The Awards is currently planned to take place annually.
FAQ ABOUT ELIGIBILITY
8. What are the requirements of the initiative, project or research to be nominated?
Please refer to our full Eligibility and Selection Criteria list here. Initiatives, projects and research nominated should embody the 6 core values of the social work profession (as per the SASW Code of Professional Ethics) and led by registered social workers.
9. Who is eligible to be nominated for the awards?
The Outstanding Social Work Awards are specifically designed to recognise and elevate the unique contributions and leadership of the social work profession. Consequently, eligibility to be nominated and receive the prize is reserved for registered social workers. We value interdisciplinary collaboration and understand it is vital for successful projects. To honour this while fulfilling the award's purpose, we encourage teams to nominate the names of the social worker(s) who provided the pivotal leadership and contribution for the initiative or research.
10. Can the nominated team consist of non-social work trained members?
The nominated members in the team will need to be individuals who are social work trained and are accredited and member of the Singapore Association of Social Workers.
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11. What constitutes "practice" that can be nominated for the Outstanding Social Work Award (Practice)?
For this award, "practice" refers to a specific social work-led initiative, project, or programme that has demonstrated a clear and positive impact. This includes impactful work directed at clients and the community, as well as initiatives that create meaningful change within the profession or for social workers themselves.
Eligible practice includes, but is not limited to:
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Client and Community Impact: Developing new intervention models, leading community empowerment projects, or improving systems and policies that directly affect beneficiaries.
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Professional Impact: Initiatives that enhance the well-being, capacity, or practice environment of social workers. This could include projects focused on practitioner self-care, developing new supervision frameworks, or partnering with corporates to improve workplace wellness for the sector.
The key is nominating a defined initiative that exemplifies the unique value and impact of Social Work, whether the primary beneficiary is the client, the community, or the profession itself.
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12. How is the initiative/project or research period determined?
For the Outstanding Social Work Award (Practice), the initiative or project has to be implemented within the past 10 years from the time of nomination. For example, for the Awards where nomination opens in 2025, the earliest eligible initiative/project is implemented on 1 January 2015.
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For the Outstanding Social Work Award (Practice Research), the research study has to be completed within the past 10 years from the time of nomination. For example, for the Awards where nomination opens in 2025, the earliest eligible research study is completed on 1 January 2022.
FAQ ABOUT NOMINATIONS
13. Who can submit nominations?
There is no restriction on who can submit the nomination. However, please note that one of the character referees has to be the Head of Agency of the initiative/project/research.
14. How do I submit a nomination?
You may complete and submit the nomination form through our online portal.
15. Can an individual be nominated for more than one initiative/project or research?
Yes, the individual can be nominated as part of a team member of different initiatives/projects or research.
16. Is there a cap on the number of team members to be nominated for the initiative/project or research?
No, there is no cap on the number of team members nominated for the project. However, all nominated team members will need to be accredited and is a member of the Singapore Association of Social Workers.
17. How will we know if the submission of nomination is successful?
You will receive an email upon successful submission of the online nomination form.
FAQ ABOUT SELECTION PROCESS
18. What is the Selection Process for the winners?
Nominations will be sourced both openly and through a dedicated Search and Nomination Committee. A distinguished Selection Committee comprising social work leaders and cross-sector professionals will then assess the shortlisted nominations. Shortlisted nominees may be invited for an interview.
19. When will the results of the Award winners be released?
Winners will be notified prior to the award ceremony which will be held on the Celebrating Social Work Excellence event alongside Social Work Day, in March 2026.