All the winners at the 2025 Mental Health Awards. Photo: Talkforce Media.
Canberra’s 2025 Mental Health Week culminated in an awards ceremony recognising the outstanding contributions of local individuals, carers, workers, and organisations working to improve mental health and wellbeing in the ACT.
Held at the Belconnen Arts Centre as part of World Mental Health Day, the awards highlighted the achievements of community champions striving to change the perception of mental illness, improve understanding, and help sufferers through advocacy, peer support, education and innovation.
Mental Health Community Coalition ACT (MHCC ACT) Lisa Kelly said the awards showcased the power of lived experience and community leadership.
“Despite Canberra being one of the most liveable cities in the world, for too many Canberrans living with mental health concerns, the city is not that liveable at all,” she said.
“For them, it is a place of stigma, silence and survival, not one of thriving and belonging.”
But Ms Kelly said these award winners showed that change was possible.
“Positive mental health is built in community; in the care of families and carers, in innovative peer-led programs, and in the organisations making services more accessible, safe, and inclusive,” she said.
This year’s awards honoured 14 categories, including consumer, carer, youth leadership, peer work, and organisational contribution.
Winnunga AHCS’s Wellbeing Support Group received the Outstanding Contribution: Organisation award for its culturally safe support groups that provide food, transport, and peer-led circles for people experiencing anxiety and depression.
Alix Keyes took out the Outstanding Contribution: Carer award, recognising her tireless advocacy for carers and consumers in ACT planning and policy.
She is a member of the ACT Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Regional Planning lived experience reference group, ensuring that the experiences of carers and consumers are voiced in the ACT plan.
Long-standing Volunteer Educator with MIEACT, Alan Taylor, received the Outstanding Contribution: Consumer award for sharing his lived experience in over 250 presentations, inspiring hope, reducing stigma and educating the community.
He has delivered presentations in schools, workplaces, and community settings, empowering thousands to better understand mental health and seek support. Alan is also a trusted mentor to fellow volunteers.
Other winners are:
Leadership Through Lived Experience Award – LewChing Yip
LewChing’s work in mental health and suicide prevention centres on recognising intergenerational trauma. Over the past seven years, she has contributed to national and state-level forums to embed diverse expertise in decision-making. She also founded Project Chosen Family to support culturally safe conversations around complex family dynamics and mental health, and works as a frontline violence prevention practitioner.
Excellence in Peer Work – Lloyd Taylor
Lloyd is passionate about promoting the importance of peer workers and the role they play within organisations. He has developed and run community engagement programs, including breakfast club and skills capacity-building workshops.
Youth Mental Health Leadership Award – Peter Harris
Peter is a Wiradjuri/Gamilaroi man whose early career has focused on mental health and suicide prevention. He has contributed to the co-design of suicide prevention programs and leads the development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Mental Health Service Model at ACT Health.
Innovative Person-Centred Program Award – Winner: Shift & Co
Shift & Co is a Canberra-based social enterprise that co-designs inclusive, creative programs for neurodivergent youth and adults. Their offerings include group activities such as Dining with Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons), MATES!, Studio&, and Forge of Legends (Warhammer), as well as therapy and one-on-one mentoring.
Outstanding Contribution: Worker – Tanya Keed
Tanya is a mental health advocate with more than 30 years of experience supporting First Nations people through youth work, justice, social work, and cultural consultancy. Her tireless efforts have helped many individuals reclaim their wellbeing, particularly First Nations women and children.
ACT Mental Health Consumer Network Scholarship – Shauna Winram
Shauna is a PhD candidate in the School of Philosophy at the Australian National University and a researcher who has had three psychotic episodes in her 20s. Her PhD topic is Consciousness and the Phenomenology of Psychosis, and she hopes to provide a better understanding of psychotic experiences.
Lived Experience Ally Recognition Award (Individual) – Pippa Newman
Pippa is a Policy Officer at Women With Disabilities ACT. She leads systemic reform efforts that include the voices of women and non-binary people with disabilities in policy and decision-making. Through convening WWDACT’s Policy Advisory Committee and contributing to national panels, they foster inclusive, rights-based approaches to education and violence prevention.
Lived Experience Ally Recognition Award (Group) – Safe Haven Belconnen
Safe Haven Belconnen is a warm, non-clinical support service offering compassionate care to individuals experiencing suicidal distress. Operated by Peer Workers with their own experience of mental illness and recovery, Safe Haven has supported hundreds of guests to regain a sense of safety, calm, and hope during their most vulnerable moments.
David Perrin Award – David Greenwood
David is a music educator who has taught students of all ages and abilities for over 30 years. Despite serious health challenges and housing insecurity, he continues to volunteer his time, sharing music and humour with disadvantaged communities across the ACT and NSW.
Consumer Small Business Grant – Jennifer Adams
Jennifer established Popcorn Art in March 2025 to provide affordable, high-quality Giclee prints and original acrylic paintings. Her business model prioritises standard sizing to reduce framing costs, reflecting a commitment to accessibility and social equity. She regularly exhibits in Canberra galleries and sells at local markets.
