Nominations now open

Smokeball Community Hero Awards

Smokeball’s Community Hero Award shines a light on the impactful work that legal professionals conduct in their communities all across Australia.
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Win a $5,000 travel voucher!

The 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award winner will receive a $5,000 travel voucher* to go towards a trip of their choosing.

Every day, members of the Australian legal industry go above and beyond to serve and enrich their local communities. At Smokeball, “Caring is Not Optional” is ingrained in our company values. This award allows us to recognise and celebrate those individuals who share that same value by servicing and enriching their local communities by:

  • Providing pro bono services and closing the access to justice gap
  • Promoting inclusion and diversity for underrepresented groups
  • Supporting charities and community groups
  • Sustainability initiatives for the environment
  • Random acts of kindness

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Smokeball Community Hero Award, the entrant must be:

  • Employed in a job within the legal industry
  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Resides in Australia

The award is open to both Smokeball clients and non-users. You can nominate yourself or someone you know from the legal community.

Award criteria

The Smokeball Community Hero Award will be judged based on the supporting information provided in the nomination form. The following can be outlined in the submission:


  • Examples of achievements, initiative, planning, management and leadership
  • Approximate hours contributed (paid and/or unpaid)
  • Achievements and contribution to the community
  • Impact on the community/workplace
  • Specific reference to how actions have inspired the community or workplace
  • Barriers or difficulties faced and how they have been overcome
  • Self-development and/or training (if applicable)

Key dates

Nominations open
Monday, 10th Novemeber 2025
Nominations close
Friday, 19th December 2025
Winner announced
Friday, 20th February 2026
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The judging panel

All Smokeball Community Hero Award nominations will be evaluated by our panel of esteemed industry experts.
Hunter Steele
Smokeball CEO
Jane Oxley
Smokeball CRO
Del Copeland
Copeland Estates Legal

Nominate a legal Community Hero

Click below to apply, or nominate a colleague for the Community Hero Award.
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Terms and Conditions
Promotional Period: Applications open Monday, 10 November 2025 at 09:00am AEDT and close on Friday, 19 December 2025 at 11:59pm AEDT. Eligibility: To be eligible for the award, the entrant must be an Australian resident aged 18 years and over and be employed in a job within the legal industry. How to Enter: To enter, the nominator must fill out all required questions on the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award form and submit it within the Promotional Period. A nominator is able to nominate more than one (1) person, but can only nominate a person one (1) time. A nominator can nominate themselves provided they meet the Eligibility requirements. Judging: Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges on a variety of criteria, including the nominee's contribution to their community, achievements, innovation and overall impact. Winner Announcement: The winner of the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award will be announce on Friday, 20th February 2026. Prizes: The winner of the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award will receive a travel voucher valued at $5,000.00 AUD. Privacy Policy: Information collected will be used in accordance with the terms of Smokeball’s Privacy Policy which can be viewed at https://www.smokeball.com.au/privacy. Information collected as part of the competition will be used only for the purpose of conducting this promotion (which may include disclosure to third parties for the purpose of conducting the promotion or providing the prize) and for promotional purposes surrounding this promotion, including in the future.ck.