The Australian of the Year Award is given annually on Australia Day. The announcement of the award has become a major public event in Australia, and is televised nationwide. The award "offers an insight into Australian identity, reflecting the nation's evolving relationship with world, the role of sport in Australian culture, the impact of multiculturalism, and the special status of Australia's Indigenous people". The award is unique in that it is sponsored by a national government and commands broad public support.
The following is a list of the recipients of the Australian of the Year award.Australian of the Year - Recipients
The post-nominals listed for each individual are as they were on the day they were named the Australian of the Year.
Recipients Year Name Postnominals Comments State / Territory 1960 Sir Virologist; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient Victoria 1961 Opera singer New South Wales 1962 Yachtsman Victoria 1963 Sir Neurophysiologist; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient Victoria 1964 Swimmer; gold medal winner at 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games New South Wales 1965 Actor; ballet dancer; director South Australia 1966 Racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966 New South Wales 1967 Music group Victoria 1968 Boxer; first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title (1968) Victoria 1969 Politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969) Queensland 1970 Cardinal Sir Clergyman; first Australian-born Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church New South Wales 1971 Tennis player New South Wales 1972 Swimmer; winner of three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics New South Wales 1973 Author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient New South Wales 1974 Sir Conductor Victoria1975 Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient New South Wales MAJGEN Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup Victoria 1976 LTCOL Sir Military surgeon; World War II prisoner of war Victoria 1977 President of the Country Women's Association Western Australia Sir Official secretary to six governors-general Victoria 1978 Businessman New South Wales Indigenous land rights activist Northern Territory 1979 First Aboriginal person elected to the Parliament of Australia Queensland Naturalist Western Australia 1980 Historian Australian Capital Territory 1981 Sir Economist New South Wales 1982 Sir Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation Queensland 1983 Marathon runner Australian Capital Territory 1984 Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996) South Australia 1985 Actor New South Wales 1986 Entrepreneur New South Wales 1987 Singer, entertainer Victoria 1988 First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988) New South Wales 1989 Australian cricket team captain New South Wales 1990 Ophthalmologist; founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation New South Wales 1991 Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane; head, Brotherhood of St. Lawrence; governor-general Victoria 1992 Singer, Yothu Yindi Northern Territory 1993 colspan="7" 1994 Environmentalist; founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World New South Wales 1995 Artist New South Wales 1996 Paediatrician, CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children New South Wales 1997 Veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient Queensland 1998 Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990 Queensland 1999 Australian cricket team captain New South Wales 2000 Sir Biologist Victoria 2001 LTGEN New South Wales 2002 Tennis player Queensland 2003 Epidemiologist Western Australia 2004 Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian New South Wales 2005 Plastic surgeon; worked with victims of the 2002 Bali bombings Western Australia 2006 Immunologist Queensland 2007 Scientist; global warming activist New South Wales 2008 Singer Queensland 2009 Indigenous leader Australian Capital Territory 2010 Psychiatrist Victoria 2011 Philanthropist businessman Victoria 2012 Actor and film producer Victoria 2013 Journalist and businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo New South Wales 2014 Australian rules footballer and Indigenous community leader New South Wales 2015 Domestic violence campaigner Victoria 2016 LTGEN Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion Australian Capital Territory 2017 Biomedical scientist treating spinal cord injuries Queensland 2018 Scientia professor of quantum physics in the faculty of science at the University of New South Wales New South Wales 2019 Cave divers who participated in the Tham Luang cave rescue South Australia Richard Harris 2020 Dr James Muecke Eye surgeon and founder of Sight for All South Australia 2021 Grace Tame Advocate for survivors of sexual assault Tasmania 2022 Dylan Alcott Paralympic athlete, advocate for disability Victoria2023Taryn BrumfittPositive body image advocate and founder of the Body Image MovementSouth Australia 2024 Melanoma researchers New South Wales 2025Neale DaniherFormer Australian rules footballer and coach; charity co-founder, advocate for motor neurone disease researchVictoria2026Katherine Bennell-PeggAustralian space engineer and qualified astronautSouth Australia
See also List of Senior Australian of the Year Award recipients List of Young Australian of the Year Award recipients List of Australian Local Hero Award recipients List of South Australian of the Year Award recipients List of Queensland Australian of the Year award recipients
References