The inaugural LGBTQIA+ Sports Awards were announced on Saturday night celebrating the best achievements in the community sport realm.
Held in The Pride Gardens at the end of PrideFEST’s first Club Day gathering the awards recognised the people who help create community sport and drive participation, connections and wellbeing.
Hosted by Team Perth’s Chair Justin Barnes the handing out of the trophies brought together the ever-growing array of sporting clubs in the LGBTIQA+ communities.
“We should be encouraging our sporting clubs to keep doing what we have been doing, but we should also be raising awareness of the incredible things that people do,” Barnes said.
Barnes thanked the three judges who had considered all the nominations for the awards.
A panel of three independent judges undertook a rigorous assessment process, reviewing each nomination against criteria including clarity of purpose, significance of impact, authenticity and initiative, inclusive leadership, communication and storytelling, reach and scope, measurable outcomes, resilience, adaptability, and reflective growth.
This judging framework emphasised that these awards recognise far more than achievement alone—they acknowledge courage, determination, community impact, and long-term contribution.
The judging panel including Professor Sophia Nimphius, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sport at Edith Cowan University. An internationally recognised leader in sport, organisers said she broight subject-matter expertise and lived experience together to connect diverse perspectives and improve both sport itself and how sport can drive broader social change.
Also on the panel was Alyce Schotte, Senior Relationship Manager for Pride in Diversity for Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In the role since November 2020 working collaboratively with member organisations on policy, process and workplace culture improvements.
The third judge was Kristina Mitsikas, Senior Manager – Inclusion and Performance at UWA Sport. With extensive experience working within the diversity and inclusion space across both local government and not for profit environments, Kristina is a positive advocate and leader for social inclusion and an active ally for people with diverse sexualities and genders.
Rebecca Ruthven was named the winner of the Visibility in Media Award which was presented by Professor Nimphius.
The award is for individuals or campaigns that have amplified LGBTQIA+ sporting voices, issues, or achievements through media, journalism, storytelling, or content creation. Presenting the award Professor Nimphius said it was vitally important that there were people who could present information with journalistic rigor at a time when LGBTIQA+ people were often misrepresented in the media.
Ruthven, a journalism student at Curtin University wrote a story in the university’s Western Independent publication about a friend who is transgender and had been barred from playing softball. The story had huge traction and saw Ruthven speaking about the subject on radio and other media platforms.
Accepting the award Ruthven said as an athlete herself she’d always found it a great privilege to play alongside many different members of the LGBTIQA+ communities.
“You guys are honestly some of the best team mates I’ve had.” Ruthven said. “It’s a real privilege to be able to use my platform to tell your stories and to continue to amplify them, not to talk over the top, but to really amplify them.”
Ruthven who has just graduated from university said she was attracted to sport journalism to be able to tell the stories behind the athletes.
Toby Burridge from the AFL team Perth Hornets was the winner of the Youth Campion of the Year, an award given to a person under the age of 25 who has made a significant contributions to LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in sport.
Presenting the award Pride WA President Michael Felix and Gay Games Co-chair Catherine Jensen said Burridge had made a big impact as the President of the Perth Hornets.
“Over the past eighteen months Toby as dedicated himself to strengthening LGBTIQA+ awareness in the AFL and building a truly welcoming and supporting environment for all players.” Jensen said.
Alyce Schotte presented the award for Inclusion Initiative of the Year which was won by the Perth Front runners. The award is given for a specific project, program, policy or campaign that has driven positive
change for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport.
Schotte said the club had many initiatives in the last year to drive inclusion but at the forefront of this was their ‘Femmes and Thems’ events which aimed to encourage participation by women, non-binary and gender-diverse members.” The initiative had grown the gender balance within the club which previously was dominated by cis-male members.
The award was accepted by Club Presidents Bec Powell and Richie Yates.
Brendon Entrekin was given the Team Perth Achievement Award, an honour celebrating an individual’s sustained and long-term contribution to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport.
Entrekin was a founding member of the White Pointers Water Polo club but has also worked across many different sporting clubs in recent years, including being a co-founder of the Perth Spectres Basketball Club. Brendon had also been a member of Surf Life Saving and worked with many clubs on building good governance practices.
Accepting the award Entrekin said it was great to be involved in so many different LGBTIQA+ sporting groups and noted that they’re had been an explosion of clubs and inclusivity in recent years.
Kristina Mitsikas returned to the stage to present the Volunteer of the Year award to Amy Doherty from Roller Derby. Doherty was praised for her fifteen year commitment to increasing LGBTIQA+ inclusion from grass roots clubs to international coaching. Doherty’s contribution was described as one on a global level.
Accepting the award an emotional Doherty said she was truly humbled by the recognition, but said the world of Roller Derby was created by many passionate volunteers.
Doherty said all members of the LGBTIQA+ sporting realm had a responsibility to speak up for teammates who are transgender or gender-diverse.
“Speak up for your trans and gender-diverse siblings and team mates, including those who lives outside of the binary, be loud when they are systematically silenced. Trans people belong in sport. They belong everywhere, and especially in Roller Derby.”
Danielle Parker founder of Netball team Shooting Stars was the recipient of the XCEED Real Estate People’s Choice Award. The award Celebrates the most nominated individual or organisation across all categories, this award recognises a person whose impact has resonated strongly with the community.
Handing out the trophy was Harvey Dinh who said Parker was a remarkable leader who had made a massive impact in a short period of time.
Parker said she surprised, shocked and honoured to be the recipient.
Scott Telfer from Connections Nightclub presented the award for Event of the Year, recognising an event that has showcased best practice in LGBTQIA+ inclusion, visibility and celebration.
Telfer highlighted that this year Connections is marking it’s 50th anniversary and it was a moment to think back to what life was like for the LGBTIQA+ community in 1975 when attending or organising an LGBTIQA+ focused sporting event would have seemed unfathomable.
Perth Frontrunners were a winner for the second time awarded for their popular Pride Walk & Run. The recognition was for the 2024 event, while just the same morning they’d delivered the 2025 edition.
Richie Yates said the credit needed to go to club member Steve Wellard who had served as the event manager for the 2024 outing. While Bec Powell said they hoped to return next year for the amazing 2025 event that had attracted a record crowd.
Rugby club the Perth Rams were named Team Perth LGBTQIA+ Club of 2025. Presenting the award Justin Barnes said their formation in2018 The Rams had created a safe and inclusive pathway for people wanting to get into rugby not only on a local level but also on a global scale.
Chantelle Cummins was given the Ally of the Year Award. Cummins has been an advocate for transgender and gender diverse inclusion as a member of the Perth Frontrunners, as well as her advocacy in school communities.
Cummins thanked her trans and gay son, saying he’d opened her up to a beautiful world that she loved being part of.
The final award of the day was for President or Club Leader of the Year which went to Callan Kneale from hockey team The Pythons.
Barnes said Kneale had providing outstanding leadership as the club’s co-president and created genuine belonging for club members.
Reflecting on the first outing of the awards, Justin Barnes from Team Perth said the experience of putting together the event had been an emotional experience.
“I have been dreaming about a day when we can finally showcase the exceptional, talented and wonderful people and organisations that put in the effort and contribute in creating safe places for LGBTQIA+ people to participate in sport.”
“I am delighted and thrilled to share our winners; however, I stress that all of the submissions melted my heart and every single person and organisation judged has honestly done incredible things.”
“People forget that communities, especially our LGBTQIA+ sporting community, are run purely by volunteers. Their contribution to our community is second to none and we need to celebrate every one of them.”
“I cannot thank our allies and supporters enough, such as our wonderful sponsor XCEED Real Estate. People think mentioning them so much is due to their monetary contribution, but the reality is that organisations like XCEED Real Estate, who outwardly champion our community, create safety for their own employees while also contributing outwardly and helping drive inclusion.”
“These awards make clear to our community and to the world exactly what our LGBTQIA+ sporting community stands for: strength, visibility, unity and pride. They highlight our readiness—not just for today, but for the future—and that momentum will carry us all the way to the Perth 2030 Gay Games, which our community cannot wait to celebrate.”
“It was a huge task for our judges. I am so thankful to them for signing up to this process and being such an important part of these awards.” Barnes said.
