The red carpet was rolled out at the National Glass Centre to welcome more than 100 young people who had been involved in the Youth Opportunity Fund.
The scheme was introduced as a pilot project nearly two years ago to try to improve services for teenagers across Sunderland.
Since then a total kitty of £769,158 has been handed out by a team of five youth advocates, with the help of more than 400 young people funding 40 different projects across the city.
More than 7,000 youngsters used the services and YOF was so successful it will now run for another three years, with more than £700,000 in funding for the first year.
Andy Neal, manager of the youth development group, said: "It is about giving young people the power to make decisions about where and what facilities they need.
"The ideas have to come from young people and they have been a huge success
"If we had sat for years we never could have come up with ideas as original and as good as these."
Last year, 17 projects were set up and this year the awards ceremony will acknowledge the successful uptake of further 23.
This year's winners include the Silky Pumas, a group of youngsters who are not part of a youth organisation but worked with a youth worker.
They applied for a grant to fund their idea for caged football, a portable mini football pitch which could be set up anywhere and encourage young people to get involved in sport.
Youth advocate Nicki Donaldson, 19, studying community and youth work service at Sunderland University, is part of the team that reviews the grant applications.
She said: "We have received hundreds of applications and they were all really good ideas.
"We didn't get any bad ideas – the ones that didn't get through didn't make the criteria.
"But we gave out grants to so many projects we thought the young people deserved recognition for all the hard work they have done. We are very proud of everything that has been achieved."
Every part of the scheme is youth-led – even the awards ceremony itself was organised by the teenage volunteers and advocates.
A slick and professional event reminded everyone what Sunderland's teenagers are capable of when they are given an opportunity.
Andy Neal added: "This clearly demonstrates that the city is not short of responsible and creative young people."



The night's big winners

HUGE cheques from Lloyds TSB and stunning stained glass paper weight awards were handed out to 23 different youth projects at the ceremony.
Among the winners was the Time Of Our Lives project, which received £22,500 for research into the history and social value of football in Sunderland.
The aim of the project is to organise and hold a portable and interactive exhibition of film and photography aimed at younger people.
The Y-Not project received £15,000 with their award, to fund their work with young people leaving care and young parents in the West End of the city.
They will provide youngsters from these hard-to-reach groups with opportunities to help them transform their lives, by raising self-esteem and increasing confidence and aspirations.
City Equals, a city-wide project involving a large group of 13 to 15-year-olds with disabilities and learning difficulties, received £17,931 in funding.
With the money the project aims to develop teams skills and buy in expert support and training so they can deliver peer led workshops.
In between the awards ceremony and after-show buffet, guests were treated to dancing from Young Asian Voices, and the Bad Taste Crew from Ireland.


Trying to make a real difference

SUNDERLAND has a history of excelling when it comes to helping and supporting young people from all walks of life.
It is often thanks to the efforts of workers that youths in the city are inspired to change their lives.
Andy Lamb was recently recognised for his pioneering work with young offenders in the city.
The 28-year-old, from Sunderland's Youth Offending Service, enlisted the ex-offenders to help redecorate a women's centre and crèche, as part of the city's Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP).The ISSP encouraged the offenders to participate in worthwhile causes, raised victim awareness and enhanced their job skills and employment prospects.Andy won the outstanding contribution to tackling youth crime prize at the Justice Awards, judged by the Home Secretary, the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General.BBC Crimewatch presenter Fiona Bruce presented the Washington-born worker with the prize at a ceremony in London.