Kim Ryan with her 2016 award and PM Malcolm Turnbull
Last year’s prize award winner was Kim Ryan, the President of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. She said winning the prize helped to elevate the important role of mental health nurses.
“The Prize provided me with the opportunity to showcase the pivotal work of mental health nurses and how they improve the health outcomes of Australians with mental health illnesses,” said Ms Ryan.
Professor Philip Mitchell, Head of the UNSW School of Psychiatry, said the University established the Prize in 2016 to raise awareness on what is working in the field of mental health for the sake of those who are living with mental illness, every day.
“Mental health needs to be treated as a national priority,” said Professor Mitchell in this year’s official launch announcement. “It is destroying lives and has a profound and enduring impact on families, loved ones and society as a whole."
“The statistics are startling and unacceptable,” he added. “One in three Australians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. “We need to acknowledge those who are doing ground-breaking work in this area. So we call upon clinicians, health professionals and the public at large to nominate the people they feel should be recognised for their work.”
Chair of the Australian Mental Health Prize Advisory Group, Ita Buttrose, hopes the Prize will help reduce the stigma around mental illness as well as help improve mental health care in Australia. “We urge people to nominate someone making a significant contribution in this field to be considered for the Prize,” she said.
To enter, go to the online nomination portal. The nomination process takes around 15 minutes, and you can leave and return to your nomination at any time, as long as you use the same device.
You’ll need to enter your contact details, any contact details that you have of the person you are nominating (address, phone number, email, etc), why you are nominating the individual, and details of a second referee who supports your nomination.
Nominations close 31 August 2017. Six finalists will then be chosen by the award panel, with the winner announced in November. You can email the organisers for more details.
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