List of Australian of the Year Award recipients

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".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Australian of the Year - Recipients</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The post-nominals listed for each individual are as they were on the day they were named the Australian of the Year.

Recipients

Year of award	Name	Post nominals	Born	Died	Comments	Notes
1960	Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1899	1985	Virologist; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1961	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1926	2010	Opera singer
1962	Template:Sortname		1915	1997	Yachtsman
1963	Sir Template:Sortname		1903	1997	Neurophysiologist; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1964	Template:Sortname		1937		Swimmer; gold medal winner at 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games
1965	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1909	1986	Actor; ballet dancer; director
1966	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1926	2014	Racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966
1967	Template:Sortname		N/A		Music group
1968	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1948	2011	Boxer; first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title (1968)
1969	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1890	1976	Politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969)
1970	Cardinal Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1896	1977	Clergyman; first Australian-born Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
1971	Template:Sortname		1951		Tennis player
1972	Template:Sortname		1956		Swimmer; winner of three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics
1973	Template:Sortname		1912	1990	Author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient
1974	Sir Template:Sortname		1894	1982	Conductor
1975	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1917	2013	Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient
	MAJGEN Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1922	2012	Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup
1976	LTCOL Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1907	1993	Military surgeon; World War II prisoner of war
1977	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1922	2014	President of the Country Women's Association
	Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1913	1994	Official secretary to six governors-general
1978	Template:Sortname		1938	2015	Businessman
	Template:Sortname		1948	2023	Indigenous land rights activist	<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
1979	Template:Sortname		1922	1999	First Aboriginal person elected to the Parliament of Australia
	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1930	2015	Naturalist
1980	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1915	1991	Historian
1981	Sir Template:Sortname		1910	1984	Economist
1982	Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1921	1999	Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation
1983	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1957		Marathon runner
1984	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1932	2024	Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996)
1985	Template:Sortname		1939		Actor
1986	Template:Sortname		1944		Entrepreneur
1987	Template:Sortname		1949		Singer, entertainer
1988	Template:Sortname		1954		First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988)
1989	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1955		Australian cricket team captain
1990	Template:Sortname		1921	1993	Ophthalmologist; founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation
1991	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1935		Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane; head, Brotherhood of St. Lawrence; governor-general
1992	Template:Sortname		1956	2013	Singer, Yothu Yindi
1993	No award made: period of award changed from the previous year to the year ahead in 1994; i.e. Mandawuy Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year for 1992 in 1993 and Ian Kiernan was named Australian of the Year for 1994 in 1994
1994	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1940	2018	Environmentalist; founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World
1995	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1920	1999	Artist
1996	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1934		Paediatrician, CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
1997	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1940		Veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient
1998	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1973		Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990
1999	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1964		Australian cricket team captain
2000	Sir Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1931		Biologist
2001	LTGEN Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1947		Template:Unbulleted list
2002	Template:Sortname		1972		Tennis player
2003	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1946		Epidemiologist
2004	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1965		Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian
2005	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1958		Plastic surgeon; worked with victims of the 2002 Bali bombings
2006	Template:Sortname		1953		Immunologist
2007	Template:Sortname		1956		Scientist; global warming activist
2008	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1964		Singer
2009	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1950		Indigenous leader
2010	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1953		Psychiatrist	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2011	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1955		Philanthropist businessman	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2012	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1951		Actor and film producer	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2013	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1942		Journalist and businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2014	Template:Sortname		1980		Australian rules footballer and Indigenous community leader
2015	Template:Sortname		1962		Domestic violence campaigner	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2016	LTGEN Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1956		Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion	<ref name=morrison>Template:Cite news</ref>
2017	Template:Sortname		1951	2023	Biomedical scientist treating spinal cord injuries
2018	Template:Sortname		1967		Scientia professor of quantum physics in the faculty of science at the University of New South Wales
2019	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals			Cave divers who participated in the Tham Luang cave rescue	<ref name="aoty2019">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Richard Harris	Template:Post-nominals
2020	Dr James Muecke	Template:Post-nominals	1963		Eye surgeon and founder of Sight for All	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="2020-01-25_ABC">Australian of the Year 2020 awarded to eye surgeon Dr James Muecke, with Ash Barty, youth advocate and obstetrician also honoured, Elise Pianegonda, ABC News Online, 2020-01-25</ref>
2021	Grace Tame		1994		Advocate for survivors of sexual assault
2022	Dylan Alcott	Template:Post-nominals	1990		Paralympic athlete, advocate for disability
2023	Taryn Brumfitt		1978		Positive body image advocate and founder of the Body Image Movement	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2024	Template:Sortname	Template:Post-nominals	1970		Melanoma researchers	<ref name="aoty2024">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Richard Scolyer	Template:Post-nominals	1966
2025	Neale Daniher	Template:Post-nominals	1961		Former Australian rules footballer and coach; charity co-founder, advocate for motor neurone disease research	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Plaque for the 1971 recipient Evonne Goolagong on the Australians of the Year Walk

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