AUSTRALIA’S wool trade is again looking for its top young broker with the calling of nominations for the 2021 NCWSBA Wool Broker Award sponsored by Sheep Central and AWTA Ltd.

After a COVID-forced hiatus in 2020, the National Council of wool Selling Brokers of Australia is again looking for high achieving young wool-broking staff in the tenth year of the award.

The award recognises excellence in service to wool growers, auctioneering and/or innovation by an outstanding wool broker employee who is working for a NCWSBA member and has been in the wool broking industry for 10 years or less.

To be eligible, applicants must have been working in the wool-broking industry for 10 years or less and be employed by an NCWSBA member company. However, applicants who were eligible for the 2020 award, but have now worked for more than 10 years in the industry, are also very welcome to apply for the 2021 award.

NCWSBA president Rowan Woods said the council was very disappointed to have to cancel the award in 2020 and is delighted to launch the search for outstanding young wool brokers with the support of our sponsors.

“The objective of the award is to encourage newer members of the Australian wool-broking industry and promote excellence in all aspects of wool broking.

“NCWSBA, through the award, has been promoting both wool broking and the Australian wool industry as an interesting prospective career for young people, including graduates, since 2012,” he said.

“We also seek to raise the profile of and increase the understanding of the important role of wool brokers.

“I am thrilled that the Award has been made possible by the generous support of the award sponsors – AWTA Ltd and Sheep Central.”

The award prize in 2021 is a fully paid trip to attend the 2022 congress of the International Wool Textile Organisation to be held in Tongxiang, China in May 2022. Arrangements will also be made for the 2021 award winner to visit the wool textile industry and retailers in China.

Mr Woods said past winners of the award have attended IWTO Congresses in China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Italy and South Africa.

“The award winners have also visited wool textile mills and wool growing properties in these countries, expanding their experience and understanding of the global wool industry,” he said.

The 2021 award winner will be accompanied to the 2022 IWTO Congress by the 2019 award winner, Samantha Wan. Mr Woods said Samantha was unable to attend in person both the 2020 and 2021 IWTO Congresses which were and will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full details and application forms are available from the NCWSBA website at https://www.woolbrokers.org/member-brokers/wool-broker-award Details can also be obtained by emailing [email protected].

Applications close on 25 June 2021 and an independent selection panel will review all applications and short-listed finalists will be notified by 25 July. The finalists will attend the NCWSBA’s Annual General Meeting to give a short presentation in support of their nomination at the RACV Club, Melbourne on 26 August 2021.

The 2021 award winner will be announced at the Wool Week dinner, scheduled for Thursday, 26 August 2021 at the RACV Club Dining room, Melbourne.