Do you know an Australian who you think is worthy of admiration? Perhaps, someone who has made a real difference in your community, to your life or to the lives of others? If you do, now could be the time to give them the attention and appreciation they deserve.
The 2016 Australian of the Year awards are now open for nominations, and the National Australia Day Council is asking for your help in unearthing Australia’s unsung heroes.
The Awards, which have four categories, Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year (65 years and over), Young Australian of the Year (16 – 30 years) and Australia’s Local Hero, are open to any Australian citizen for any deed or impact that they might have had.
“Nominating is as simple as providing the name of someone you would like to see recognised and why they should be considered for the Awards,” said National Australia Day Council Chairman, Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, “By submitting a nomination for someone you find inspiring and worthy of our attention, you can help recognise Australians doing great things in the community locally, nationally and globally.”
For some, nominating themselves for such an award might not have even crossed their minds, but that doesn’t mean they don’t warrant the opportunity, as well.
“When I was told I had been nominated for the Australian of the Year Awards I was very surprised and a little embarrassed, but it also gave me a lot of strength because I realised the nomination was a show of support,” said the 2015 Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, who won for her work in domestic violence, “Nominating me was really about showing support for the issue I represented – someone wanted to bring attention to the message I was communicating and to the issue of family violence. That nomination has been a powerful thing – it has helped bring about change and I’m so grateful for that support.”
The woman who nominated Rosie, Christine Evans, says that the ability to nominate others for the award is a huge benefit.
“I’ve watched the Awards announcement over many years and I’ve always admired the people who are recognised by the Awards,” said Christine, “When Rosie came to public attention, I was really inspired by her and how she was coming through her own tragedy with a consciousness of helping others and bringing awareness and understanding to this really important issue in our society – I was so struck by her story, I simply had to nominate her for the Awards.”
Out of thousands of public nominations, finalists in each of the four Award categories are selected from each State and Territory, recognising 128 people around the nation.
State and Territory Awards events will be held in October and November, where the recipients from each category are announced.
The 32 State and Territory Award recipients then become the National Finalists for the Australian of the Year Awards, which will be announced in January.
So, if you have someone in mind that you think deserves the chance to be considered for the Australian of the Year award, nominate them at Australian of the Year, before 3 August 2015.
