Local Para Champions - Round 1 2026/27

The Local Para Champions Program is an Australian Government initiative designed to provide financial assistance for participants aged 13 to 24 attending an eligible state/territory, national or international championships, where the championship is specifically for athletes with a disability.

Please do not apply for this grant if the competition you are attending is not specifically for athletes with a disability.  If the competition is for able bodied athletes only you need to apply for Local Sporting Champions which is a different program.

Local Sporting Champions

To be eligible to receive funding through the Local Para Champions program, applicants must satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• Be turning:
  • 13 to 24 years of age in the same calendar year as the State Championships.
  • 14 to 24 years of age in the same calendar year as the National Championships.
  • 15 to 24 years of age in the same calendar year as the International Competition,
• Be an Australian citizen or have been granted permanent resident status and be residing in Australia.
• Be a participant in an event, division or competition open only to athletes with a disability which is:
  • an official state/territory championships endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised national sporting organisation (NSO), national sporting organisation for people with disability (NSOD)or a School Sport Australia member body; or
  • an official national championship endorsed by the relevant ASC recognised NSO, NSOD or School Sport Australia; or
  • an international competition, where only athletes with a disability can be selected, as a member of an official Australian team representing an ASC recognised NSO, NSOD or School Sport Australia.

A participant is anyone involved in an official capacity in the event or competition such as an athlete, coach or official, and where appropriate, guides or assistants.

• Applicants attending a state/territory championship must be living more than 125km from the championships venue and travelling greater than 250km return to participate in the nominated championships*.
• May receive a maximum of two grants in the same allocation year (1 July 2026 – 30 April 2027) for attending either:
  • one state or national championships and one international competition; or
  • two different international competitions.
• Must incur out-of-pocket expenses equal to, or greater than, the grant amount they are eligible to receive.
• Must not receive a Local Para Champions grant or a Local Sporting Champions grant in the
  same or a previous round to attend the same championship or competition.
• Applications must be submitted within timeframes indicated in the ‘When can I apply?’ section of this document.

*People attending a national championships or international competition do not need to be travelling a minimum distance to be eligible.

When Can I apply?

Applications can be submitted at any time during the round opening and closing date for competitions that occur within the relevant timeframes below:

Applications for competitions held during the eligible competition dates can be submitted at any time during the round.

Saved applications must be completed and submitted prior to the end of the round to be eligible.  Applications submitted in incorrect rounds will be ineligible.

Please add the email address "noreply@smartygrants.com.au" to your email safe sender list to ensure you receive communication regarding this application.