To complete an application, you will need:

• your personal/contact details;
• details of the championship you are attending;
• details of your school (if relevant) and local sporting club;
• your coach or official accreditation ID (if relevant);
• details for a contact (e.g. coach) within your club/team to confirm your selection;
  • for international events details of a contact e.g. coach from the recognised NSO/D or School Sport Australia to confirm your selection
• contact details of your parent(s)/guardian(s); and
• personal bank account details for you or your parent(s)/guardian(s).

It is recommended that you click Save Progress when you are filling out a form - for security reasons you will be logged out of the system if 20 minutes has elapsed and you have not saved your progress or navigated between pages.

If you wish to leave the application process prior to submitting your form, press ‘save progress’ and log out.

When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will see any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and continue where you left off.

You can also download your application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the navigation panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

When you submit an application, you will receive an email, which will include a copy of your submitted responses.

It is important that you check the information in the attachment and email us at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au immediately should any information be incorrect.

If you haven’t received the autogenerated email from SmartyGrants, please check your junk email folder. If it is not there, please check your submission on your SmartyGrants portal and ensure your application is submitted. If you cannot find the email and your application has been submitted, please contact sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au.

If you wish to edit a submitted application, please contact the Local Para Champions program administrators at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au

You may need to upload supporting documentation with your application.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time. Please see list of supported file types.

If you are attending multiple eligible championships, it is encouraged to submit an application for each eligible championship.

Applicants are eligible to receive two grants per allocation year, where at least one grant is for an international competition.

Note: This program is highly competitive and currently oversubscribed. As a result, the grant cannot be guaranteed.

For instructions about using the portal, see SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants.

For instructions about this specific Local Para Champions grant, read the Guidelines or FAQs

For any further questions, please contact the Local Para Champions program administrators at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au

The following championships are eligible as per the eligibility criteria:

• An official state/territory championship where the event, a division or competition is open only to athletes with a disability and it is endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised national sporting organisation (NSO), national sporting organisations for people with disability (NSODs) or a School Sport Australia member body:
  • e.g. Special Olympics NSW State Equestrian Championships
  • e.g. attending the QLD School Sport Swimming 13-19 years State Championships in a Multi Class event.
• An official national championship where the event, a division or the competition is open to only athletes with a disability and endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised NSO, NSOD or School Sport Australia:
  • e.g. Basketball Australia – Ivor Burge Championships or Kevin Coombs Cup
  • e.g. Australian National Goalball Championships.
• Attending an international competition as a member of an Australian team, where only athletes with a disability can be selected and you are representing an ASC recognised NSO, NSOD or School Sport Australia.
  • e.g. attending the Boccia World Championships as part of the Boccia Australia team.
  • e.g. attending the Wheelchair Rugby World Championships as part of the Wheelchair Rugby Australian team.

Click on the below links to check out the ASC recognised NSOs, plus the School Sport Australia and related state associations calendar of eligible events.

• ASC Recognised National Sporting Organisations
• School Sport Australia – Calendar of Domestic Events
• School Sport Australia – Calendar of International Tours
• NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) - Calendar of Events
• NSW Combined High Schools Association (NSWCHSSA) - Calendar of Events
• NSW Combined Independent Schools (NSWCIS) - Calendar of Events
• NSW Primary Schools Sports Association (NSWPSSA) - Calendar of Events
• School Sport NT - Calendar of Events
• Queensland School Sport - Calendar of Events
• School Sport SA - Calendar of Events
• School Sport Victoria - Calendar of Events
• School Sport WA - Calendar of Events

Applications for participation in the following are not eligible:

• Any competition/division or individual event where that competition/division/event is not specifically for athletes with a disability, such as attending the NSW All Schools Cross Country which is open to any athlete that is able bodied or has a disability.
• A club or state team attending an international competition or travelling overseas.
• Development or training squads and camps.
• Ongoing seasonal competitions.
• Local and regional competitions.
• Competitions delivered by organisations not affiliated with an ASC recognised NSO or NSOD.
• Competitions delivered by associations not affiliated with School Sport Australia.

For international competitions, an official Australian team is a team that is representing the ASC recognised national sporting organisation (NSO), national sporting organisation for people with disability (NSOD) or School Sport Australia.

• See the list of ASC recognised NSOs and NSODs.
• See the list of School Sport Australia endorsed international tours.

Although an NSO, NSOD or School Sport Australia may support a club or state team attending an international competition and representing Australia, a club or state team is not classified as the ‘official’ Australian team for the purposes of the Local Para Champions program.

Yes, if you have already attended the championships you are able to submit an application.

Applications for competitions held during the eligible competition dates can be submitted at any time during the round. Applications do not need to be submitted within one month of the competition finishing, they can be submitted at any time the round is open.

Check out the Third Party Funding opportunities to see if you may be eligible for another grant program.

Yes, you can still apply for a grant if the championships will occur before your application is assessed or you are advised of the outcome to your application.

In these cases, if you are successful, the grant will be provided as a reimbursement for costs incurred with attending the championships.

Remember that you must complete and submit an application prior to the championships commencing to be eligible.

No. The Local Para Champions program may be oversubscribed with more applications received than grants available. In these cases, applications undergo a competitive assessment process, and as a result, the grant cannot be guaranteed.

Your Application ID number can be found in the subject line of the email the ASC sent when you submitted your application.

Remember to check your junk email folder if you cannot find this email.

If successful, you can use the grant on any associated cost for you to attend the nominated championships.

Examples of expenses include (but is not limited to):

• Competition entry fees/levies
• Transport costs (e.g. airfares, petrol)
• Accommodation
• Uniform
• Sporting equipment

If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to attend the nominated championships, email us at sportingchampions@ausport.gov.au

If you have received a Local Para Champions (LPC) grant this allocation year (Round 1,2,3 or 4 2024/25) to attend a state or national championships, you are eligible to receive another grant this allocation year to attend an international competition. If you are not attending an international competition, you will be eligible to apply for another grant at the start of the next allocation year.

If you have received a grant to attend an international competition, you can receive another grant this allocation year to attend a state, national or another international competition.

If you have received two grants this allocation year (Round 1,2,3 or 4 2024/25), you are ineligible to receive another grant.

To check if you have received a LPC grant this allocation year:

1. Login to your smartygrants account at - Home Page - Australian Sports Commission (smartygrants.com.au)
2. Click on my submissions at the top of the screen
3. Scroll down to the Submitted Forms section

Identify the last Local Para Champions application you submitted.  This will tell you the round and allocation year it was submitted.  Compare this with the current round that is open

No. To be eligible for a Local Para Champions grant you must also be between the ages of 12-24. The grant is specifically for participants in eligible competitions that are in that age range.