Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian Embassy is to open nominations for the 2011 Australian Alumni Awards in Indonesia on Saturday (April 9),

"The prestigious Australian Alumni Awards program recognizes the significant contribution made by Indonesian alumni of Australian education institutions in their chosen profession when they return to Indonesia," said Greg Moriarty, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, according to a report carried by the embassy;s website.

The award categories are : Australian Alumni Award for Excellence in Education, Australian Alumni Award for Research and Innovation, Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable and Economic Development, Australian Alumni Award for Culture and the Arts, Australian Alumni Award for Journalism and Media, Australian Alumni Award for Excellence in Defense and Security, Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship, Australian Alumni Award for Business Leadership and Outstanding Young Australian Alumni Award.

"I strongly encourage the Indonesian and Australian public to nominate high achieving alumni for these awards," said Ambassador Moriarty. "The awards are designed to acknowledge the contribution to Indonesia?s progress made by tens of thousands of Indonesians who have studied at Australian schools, universities and technical colleges. Their success helps build a platform to further deepen the personal links between Indonesia and Australia."

Alumni who have received these prestigious Australian Alumni Awards in previous years include: Najwa Shihab, awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Journalism and Media, Yuanita Rohali, awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Business Leadership, Prof. Dr. Adrianus Meliala, awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable Economic and Social Development, Dr. Suryadi Ismadji, awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Research and Innovation, Imam Sufaat, awarded the Australian Alumni Award for Excellence in Defence and Security and Aoura L. Chandra, awarded the Outstanding Young Australian Alumni Award.

To be eligible for nomination, alumni must have studied in Australia for at least 12 months. Alumni do not have to be working in the particular discipline from which they graduated but it is essential to display an on-going high level of achievement in the award category. The awards are not designed to reward those who are nearing graduation.

Nominations can be made online, by any member of the Indonesian and Australian public, via the interactive Australian alumni website www.ozmate.org. Please visit www.ozmate.org for nomination details and eligibility ? nominations close on 19 May 2011. The finalists will be announced in the end of May and the winners will be announced at a special gala ceremony in June 2011.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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