The Telstra AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League (AFL). The winner also receives the Ron Evans Medal, named for the former AFL chairman.
The 2026 winner was Jagga Smith, from the Carlton Football Club.
Eligibility Every round, a nomination is given to a standout young player who performed well during that particular round. To be eligible for nomination, a player must be under 21 on 1 January of that year and have played ten or fewer senior games before the start of the season; a player who is suspended may be nominated, but is not eligible to win the award.
Nominations +Key^ Winner* Ineligible to win the Rising Star due to suspension. +2026 AFL Rising Star nominees Round Player ClubRef.0 1 ^ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1516*1718192021222324
+ Table of nominations by club Number Club Player 4Jagga Smith1Harry Dean12Talor Byrne20Billy Wilson24 3Jacob Farrow5Sullivan Robey9Dyson Sharp19 Leo Lombard0Jai Murray15Zeke Uwland17 Sam Grlj7Patrick Retschko11Jasper Alger14Jobe Shanahan2Willem Duursma3Josh Lindsay10 2 Phoenix Gothard6Riley Hamilton18 1 Ty Gallop16 Sam Swadling23 Mitchell Edwards21 Cooper Trembath4 Jack Whitlock8 Jesse Dattoli22 Cooper Hynes13
Final voting The winner was decided by an 11-person panel consisting of Andrew Dillon (chair), Eddie Betts, Simon Black, Jude Bolton, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, David Mundy, Joel Selwood, Kevin Sheehan and Greg Swann. Each member awarded five votes to the player they determined most deserving, four votes to the second-most deserving, and so on to one vote to the fifth-most deserving.
Vote receivers PlayerClubVotes 1 54 2 39 3 29 4 28 5 9 6 37 1
Full votes Panel member5 votes4 votes3 votes2 votes1 vote (chair) () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
See also
2026 AFL Women's Rising Star
References