The Silver Logie for Most Popular New Talent, also known as the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent, is an award presented at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. The award recognises the popularity of a new talent in an Australian program. The program may or may not be the nominee's first television appearance, however it should be their first major television role.
It was first awarded at the 22nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards ceremony, held in 1980 and originally called Most Popular New Talent. This award category was eliminated in 1999 and replaced by the Most Popular New Male Talent and Most Popular New Female Talent categories. After a 15-year absence, the Most Popular New Talent category was reintroduced in 2014 to replace the gender specific categories. It was briefly renamed Best New Talent (2016–2017). From 2018, the award category name was reverted to Most Popular New Talent.
The winner and nominees of Most Popular New Talent are chosen by the public through an online voting survey on the TV Week website. Neighbours and Home and Away have the most recipients of this award, with four wins each.
Winners and nominees Key Meaning Indicates the winner
Year Nominees Program(s) Network(s)Ref 1980 Vera Plevnik The John Sullivan Story 1981 Simon Gallaher The Mike Walsh Show 1982 Gary Sweet The Sullivans 1983 Stephen Comey Sons and Daughters 1984 James Reyne Return to Eden 1986 Peter O'Brien Neighbours 1987 Jason Donovan Neighbours Cameron Daddo Perfect Match Kylie Minogue Neighbours 1988 Alex Papps The Henderson Kids II Annie Jones Neighbours Kate Raison A Country Practice Christopher Truswell Hey Dad..! 1989 Nicolle Dickson Home and Away Rachel Friend Neighbours Rebecca Smart The Shiralee 1990 Georgie Parker A Country Practice Matt Day A Country Practice Marcus Graham E Street 1991 Richard Huggett E Street Rebekah Elmaloglou Home and Away Sophie Heathcote A Country Practice Sophie Lee The Bugs Bunny Show 1992 Kym Wilson Brides of Christ Matthew Krok Hey Dad..! Jeremy Sims Chances Melissa Tkautz E Street 1993 Simon Baker E Street Dieter Brummer Home and Away Natalie Imbruglia Neighbours Matthew Krok Hey Dad..! 1994 Melissa George Home and Away Kimberley Davies Neighbours Jo Beth Taylor Australia's Funniest Home Videos 1995 Lisa McCune Blue Heelers Daniel Amalm Home and Away Isla Fisher Home and Away 1996 Nic Testoni Home and Away Kate Fischer What's Up Doc? Katrina Hobbs Home and Away Wendy Mooney Don't Forget Your Toothbrush Vulcan Gladiators 1997 Tasma Walton Blue Heelers Belinda Emmett Home and Away Tania Zaetta Who Dares Wins Ben Unwin Home and Away 1998 Brooke Satchwell Neighbours Bree Desborough Home and Away Callan Mulvey Heartbreak High Daniel Kowalski Plucka's Place 2014 Bonnie Sveen Home and Away Timomatic Australia's Got Talent Abby Earl A Place to Call Home Caren Pistorius Offspring Redfern Now Paper Giants: Magazine Wars Johnny Ruffo Home and Away 2015 Miranda Tapsell Love Child Laura Brent ANZAC Girls INXS: Never Tear Us Apart Harriet Dyer Love Child Samantha Jade INXS: Never Tear Us Apart Olympia Valance Neighbours 2016 Adam Dovile Better Homes and Gardens Benson Jack Anthony 800 Words Joel Jackson Deadline Gallipoli Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door Pia Miller Home and Away Dan Reilly The Block 2017 Rob Collins Cleverman The Wrong Girl Shalom Brune-Franklin Doctor Doctor Tiarnie Coupland Love Child Hayley Magnus The Wrong Girl Penny McNamee Home and Away 2018 Dilruk Jayasinha CRAM! Utopia Matty Johnson The Living Room Sam Frost Home and Away Sophia Forrest Love Child Sophie Dillman Home and Away 2019 Dylan Alcott The Set Bonnie Anderson Neighbours Courtney Miller Home and Away Eddie Woo Teenage Boss Joe Jonas The Voice Tasia Zalar Mystery Road 2022 Tony Armstrong News Breakfast Alessandra Rampolla Married At First Sight Carlos Sanson Jr Bump Matt Evans Home and Away Melanie Bracewell The Cheap Seats Will Lodder Love Me 2023 Amy Shark Australian Idol Ayesha Madon Heartbreak High Chloé Hayden Heartbreak High Flex Mami Love Island Australia Kween Kong RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Lilliana Bowrey Surviving Summer 2024 Felix Cameron Boy Swallows Universe Alyla Browne The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Ava Caryofyllis Bay of Fires Imi Mbedla Bay of Fires Lee Tiger Halley Boy Swallows Universe Tristan Gorey Home and Away 2025 Guy Montgomery Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee Hailey Pinto Home and Away Jenny Tian Taskmaster Australia Kate Miller-Heidke The Voice Kylah Day Territory Sofia Levin MasterChef Australia 2026 Andrea Lam The Piano Eloise Hart Goolagong Mystery Road: Origin Lila McGuire Goolagong Rowan Witt Ghosts Australia Stuart Broad The Ashes 2025–26 Tamala Ghosts Australia
Multiple wins Number Program Wins Home and Away Neighbours Blue Heelers E Street
See also George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer Logie Award for Most Popular New Male Talent Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent
References