Au Pair of the Year Award

The 2025 IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award

We’re excited to share that the IAPA International Au Pair of the Year Contest is now open! This contest recognizes outstanding young individuals in au pair programs around the world by shining a spotlight on their contributions and promoting awareness of this meaningful cultural exchange. It’s also a fantastic chance to feature IAPA member organizations!

The Winner´s Prize

Also this year, the contest will be video-only! We loved the creative, compelling videos from last year’s participants, which truly brought the au pair experience to life. We’re inviting au pairs to make their own video submissions, so they don’t need to be nominated by a host family to enter. By sharing their perspectives, au pairs can highlight the unique cultural exchange that makes this program special.

Please remember: au pairs and host families must submit their videos to their placing agency or sponsor, who can select and forward up to two nominations to us!

Contest Procedure

Please read carefully

1. 1. IAPA member “receiving” agencies should invite au pairs and host families to submit a video featuring a deserving au pair to your organization.
2. 2. The receiving agency/sponsor then reviews the entries and selects their top two entries which they then submit to IAPA by using our online application form
3. 3. Please note that both, – sending and receiving agency – must be members of IAPA.
4. 4. The deadline to submit the entries is 31 January 2025, 23:59 CET.
5. 5. IAPA staff will review the videos and entries to verify eligibility and request missing information or documents.
6. 6. Eligible entries will be submitted to our jury who will select the winner and runner-up.
7. 7. The IAPA member agencies who submitted the winner and runner-up will be notified by IAPA.
8. 8. IAPA will bring the winning au pair to the 2025 WETM-IAC event in Alicante, Spain to receive the award (subject to availability). Therefore, please make sure in advance whether travel will be possible with regards to the au pair´s visa status or obligation towards the host family.

Please note that we do not announce the winner before the ceremony.

What are the requirements?

We´re looking for compelling, unique stories of cultural exchange experiences, personal growth, integration in a family, culture, language, community.

1. Content: How did the au pair integrate, overcome challenges, and experience cultural exchange. What are they doing to make the best of their time abroad? How did the au pair make a difference in the family’s life?
2. Creativity: Everything is possible, but it is important that the video wasn’t created by the agency or their professional staff.
3. Legal compliance: Ensure that the entry is in compliance with all the legal and copyright requirements.
4. Consent: Everyone featured in videos entered is to sign the consent form. If someone doesn’t consent – including parents on behalf of their children – please take sure to edit the video accordingly.
5. Neutrality: To ensure our jury can make an unbiased decision, please avoid mentioning or sharing the names of any placing or sending agencies in the video. The company names and further data will be provided to us via the application form.
6. Language: IAPA accepts registrations in any language. However, for judging purposes, all videos should have English subtitle
7. Technical requirements:
   • Videos must be in mp4 or mov format and no larger than 3 GB
   • Music can be added, however, please make sure that you are allowed to use the music. As a resource for royalty-free music for videos you can use Youtube Music Library or any other resource that offers royalty free music.
   • Make sure to check whether you need to mention the source of music in your video and do so, if required. The same applies for  stock photos or videos used.

Please read the full Terms and Conditions and also inform your au pairs and host families about the rules and regulations. Make sure to have them sign photo and video release forms that allow us to use their content.

Our Winner 2024 – Lia Aniha Padilla Medina, Ecuador

This year we were happy to award Lia from Ecuador with the title IAPA Au Pair of the Year. Her US-American host family, the Pellicano family with their four lively boys, nominated her because they deeply love and appreciate her. She stepped in and supported them through a challenging time, becoming much more than just a caregiver. She’s the boys’ older sister and best friend, and a truly integral part of the entire family.

“It´s an exchange of gifts and we share our family and our home  with her. She shares her talents as au pair with us and our kids – and there is a lot of love involved.”  The Pellicano Family

Placing agencies were US sponsor Agentaupair(USA) and sending agency Au Pair to the World (Ecuador).

You can watch the video about Lia and her host family here.

Since Lia couldn’t join us in Kraków in March to accept her award in person, our sponsor Agentaupair presented it to her on our behalf. We also surprised her with a voucher to fulfill a long-time dream: a trip to Alaska, organized and funded by IAPA with support from our Associate Member, SPRINTAX.