Do You Know a
Quiet Changemaker?
The 2025 Azra Ahmed Award
She doesn’t seek the spotlight, but still inspires. Could she be the one you know?
Nomination closes on October 31, 2025
Who was Azra?
Azra was a legendary community activist and organiser. If you have the privilege of using the lift at Arncliffe train station, you should know that Azra was the key leader who drove the campaign to make it happen. Motivated by her own health struggles, climbing the station’s stairs, she took it upon herself to mobilise community members and gain organisational support. After years of persistent advocacy, she saw to it that the Arncliffe lift became a reality.
Azra was also one of the founding members of the Pakistani Australian Women’s Association. She voluntarily undertook pioneering work addressing domestic violence within South Asian communities and directly supported several women in escaping dangerous and precarious situations.
A climate justice champion, Azra was a valued leader of Voices for Power, a migrant-led climate justice movement. She was seen at the 2019 Sydney School Strike for Climate, proudly holding a placard handwritten in Urdu, expressing her commitment to the environment, grounded in her faith in Islam.
Despite her many achievements, Azra remained grounded in humility, patience, and quiet determination. She never sought the recognition or accolades that often accompany public activism. Azra passed away on 24th August 2020, but her legacy lives on through the systems she helped transform and the many lives she touched directly with care and solidarity.
Who are we looking for?
A Muslim woman from Sydney, aged 18 to 30, from the Indian subcontinent, with lived experience as a first-generation migrant.
What are we looking for in this person?
We’re looking for someone who embodies the quiet strength and values that Azra lived by: a silent changemaker whose impact may not come with accolades, but whose intention to make a difference is clear.
This is not about big achievements. It’s about potential. We want to walk along side someone with the courage, kindness, and resilience to stand up for others, especially those often overlooked.
Someone who champions education, uplifts the invisible, and leads through quiet, consistent action.
The kind of person who doesn’t seek the spotlight but still manages to inspire. The most unlikely activist, and the one we need the most.
How does the nomination process work?
• Any individual or representative of an organisation can make a nomination.
• The relationship between the nominee and the nominator must be declared.
• The nominee should consent to the nomination.
• The nomination will need to be endorsed by a person in a public role who is familiar with the nominee.
• No self-nominations.
• The nomination closes on October 31.
• If you know someone who fits the description of the person we are looking for, fill out the nomination form.
What does the award include?
The award will include a certificate and a special recognition package presented at the award night, honouring Azra’s legacy. This package will feature a scholarship for a set of training sessions, tailored capacity- building programs, and pairing with a mentor in a field chosen by the awardee.
The total value of the award package exceeds $5,000.