The Rob Riley Memorial Prize honours the legacy of Rob Riley, who made an outstanding contribution to the West Australian and broader Australian communities through his advocacy of Aboriginal human rights issues. Rob Riley was an Aboriginal leader whose untimely death was mourned throughout Australia. Riley worked to advance social justice and reconciliation with non-Aboriginal Australians.
Prizes are awarded in January each year to the leading public school Aboriginal Year 12 TEE student and the leading Aboriginal Year 12 VET in Schools student. The prizes are not decided on an application basis: the Curriculum Council identifies the leading students based on academic results. The Aboriginal Education and Training Directorate of the Department of Education and Training administers the prizes.