A chance to recognise unsung heroes working tirelessly within their communities is on offer with nominations for the 2023 Australian of the Year Awards now open.
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Public nominations for the 2023 Australian of the Year Awards are open until midnight, July 31, 2022 and can be done at australianoftheyear.org.au .
According to National Australia Day Council CEO Karlie Brand, the Australian of the Year Awards rely on nominations from members of the public to find individuals who are contributing to our nation and who make us proud.
"Nominating a person for the awards brings their contributions or achievements to national attention - it elevates their personal story and allows others to appreciate what they've done," Ms Brand said.
It only takes one nomination for someone to be considered for the awards, but a nomination must be submitted for a person to be in the running.
There are four categories in the awards:
- Australian of the Year
- Senior Australian of the Year (aged 65 years and over)
- Young Australian of the Year (aged 16-30 years)
- Australia's Local Hero
Criteria for the awards include:
- Nominations must be for a living person (unfortunately posthumous awards cannot be granted) and an Australian citizen.
- An inspirational role model for the Australian community
- Demonstrated excellence in their field
- The Local Hero award acknowledges a significant contribution at local community level
More useful tips for nominating can be found here: https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/nominate/
"The Australian of the Year Awards program is based on people appreciating other people. Every announcement of an Australian of the Year started with someone submitting a nomination for them, so the person you nominate could very well be one of our next award recipients," Ms Brand said.
"Nominating is a very simple process which can be done online. While you don't need to know the individual personally, you do need to be able to tell us a little about what they've done and why they would be worthy of recognition."
The Awards program culminates in the national awards presentation in January when four people are announced as Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia's Local Hero.
However, the awards program recognises 128 people around the country each year through the state and territory awards process:
Once nominations close, each state and territory selects four nominees in each awards category.
In October-November, award recipients are announced for each category in each state and territory.
These recipients then become finalists for the national awards which are announced on the evening of 25 January.
Nominate now at australianoftheyear.org.au by July 31, 2022.