Volunteers in our community need to be cherished – and 2012’s exciting and diverse Sydney Mardi Gras festival certainly couldn’t have happened without them.

Our photo shows just a small and exceptional number of the hundreds of fabulous volunteers who made the various events what successes they were.

The festival’s unstoppable army of amazing volunteers were thanked with a special event at the Alexandria Hotel on Sunday, where the first round of Volunteer Award winners were announced. Then on Monday the following volunteers and Parade entrants picked up their own awards at the Seymour Centre.

“While we dust off the last of the glitter and look back on a truly spectacular Sydney Mardi Gras 2012, we’re celebrating the passion, talent and dedication of the incredible people who made it happen,” says the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Board.

Here’s the full list of this year’s Mardi Gras Awards winners:

Fair Day

Silver Awards
Best Commercial Stall: Urban Society
Best Community Stall: Wear it Purple
Best Youth Stall: Y Foundations
Gold Award
Best Fair Day 2012 Stall: This is Oz

Volunteer Awards

Silver Awards
Excellence in Team Work: Team Camp
Excellence in Innovation: John Riveral
Excellence in Service: Laura Jamieson
Spirit of Mardi Gras: Frank Iannilli
Gold Award
Volunteer of the Year: Meg Ebelt

Parade

Silver Awards
Best Choreography: ‘Fight for Love’ by Sydney Stingers Waterpolo
Best Costume: ‘Kandi Circus’ Hot Kandi – sponsored by SameSame.com.au
Best Float Design: ‘Love All – Margaret Court Loses in Straight Sets’ by Ethel Yarwood Enterprises – sponsored by starobserver.com.au
Best Individual Entry: Teresa Kompara – sponsored by LOTL Magazine
Showstopper – Gold Awards
‘Lights of Our Lives’ by the Deaf Gay and Lesbian Association
Lifesavers with Pride
‘Report All Violence to the Police’ by NSW Police Force
‘30 Years Young! Your Story is Our Story’ by Twenty10

Congratulations to all for a job well done – and we hope to see you back next year!