Exciting news! Ahead of the 2012 vInspired national awards, our judging panel has whittled down the hundreds of nominees who were put forward for an award and named the winners within each region across the country.

The annual awards are the largest of their kind and a really important part of vInspired’s work. They celebrate the achievements and dedication of young volunteers and aim to challenge negative attitudes towards young people by highlighting their inspiring creativity, motivation and generosity.

Really well done to all our nominees – we hope you all have an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas and feel immensely proud of your achievements. Our judges found each and every story shared totally inspiring and a real testament to the outstanding work that young volunteers do and the positive difference they make to their communities.

So what happens next? The regional winners will be shortlisted to national finalists in January 2012, with the overall national award winners revealed at a start studded awards ceremony in March. Check out the full rundown of winners by region, over on our national award pages.