Each year, four individuals from each state and territory are named as Australian of the Year nominees.
Read on to learn all about the nominees and state and territory winners for the 2025 Australian of the Year award.
Who are the nominees for the Australian of the Year 2025?
Northern Territory (NT)

Donna Ah Chee
A proud Bundjalung woman, Donna Ah Chee has long championed health and social justice for Aboriginal communities.
Donna, who’s been the CEO of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress since 2012, work includes spearheading initiatives that help young Aboriginal families gain access to neuropsychologists, home-visiting nurses, and preschool preparation.
Not to mention, in 2023, Donna’s advocacy for alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs was successful and implemented by the government. As a result of the restrictions, there was a 40 per cent reduction in alcohol-related violence in the town.

Franck Gohier
Franck Gohier is a celebrated Australian artist who has made significant contributions to Indigenous communities through his work.
In 1996, he established an art program for Indigenous inmates, fostering therapy and skill-building through art.
That same year, Frank founded Red Hand Prints, a printmaking studio that collaborates with Indigenous artists, providing cultural and economic opportunities.

Zainab Mohamud
Zainab Mohamud is a passionate advocate for culturally diverse communities and unites refugees, asylum seekers and new immigrants through the power of football.
She founded Football Without Borders’ Black Panthers to break down barriers in women’s sports and under her leadership, female participation grew from 12 players to over eight teams participating in community tournaments. Football Without Borders, under Zainab’s guidance, also supported the Refugee World Cup 2024.
Zainab also serves as the first-ever chair of the Northern Territory’s UN Association of Australia Young Professionals Network and uses that platform to advocate inclusivity and resilience through sport too.

WINNER NT 2025 Australian of the Year: Grant Ngulmiya Nundhirribala
The 2025 Australian of the Year Award recipient for the Northern Territory is the internationally acclaimed musician and cultural leader in Arnhem Land’s Numbulwar community, Grant Ngulmiya Nundhirribala. Grant has dedicated his life to inspiring local youth to preserve and perform traditional music and dance.
Grant was behind the Numburindi Festival, an annual community-driven event that celebrates Nunggayinbala culture; both traditional and contemporary.
Plus, he has led the celebrated Red Flag Dancers for decades.
South Australia (SA)

WINNER SA 2025 Australian of the Year: Professor Leah Bromfield
Professor Leah Bromfield, the director and chair of child protection at the Australian Centre for Child Protection, has devoted her life to establishing practical, evidence-based solutions to child abuse and neglect.
Today, Leah is one of the most trusted researchers in the field. Her calls for transformation and radical redesign have led to world-first insights and contributed to significant changes in our understanding of, and responses to, child abuse and neglect.

Dr Sarah Cannard
With a PhD in aerospace engineering and years of experience, Dr Sarah Cannard is a leader in her field. She is undoubtedly putting Australia’s space program on the world’s stage.
Sarah led the team that designed Australia’s first-ever lunar rover, Roo-ver, in partnership with the Australian Space Agency and NASA. She actively promotes STEM careers through public speaking.

Commissioner Grantley Stevens
Commissioner Grantley Stevens has been a police officer for more than 40 years and the Commissioner for the South Australian Police for 9 years.
He became a household name for his strong leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grantley, along with his wife Emma, also advocates for organ donation, youth engagement and road safety. Tragically in 2023, Grant and Emma’s youngest son Charlie passed away after being hit by a car.

Dr Hannah Wardill
Internationally recognised in the field of supportive oncology research, Dr Hannah Wardill’s program aims to prevent the long-term disadvantages inflicted by cancer and its treatment by developing supportive care solutions that meet the unique needs of the patient.
So far, The Supportive Oncology Research Group — started by Hannah in 2020 — has received over $12 million in funding.
Tasmania (TAS)

WINNER TAS 2025 Australian of the Year: Sam Elsom
Sam Elson and his start-up Sea Forest have dramatically reduced methane emissions.
The start-up was one of the first to successfully turn asparagopsis, a native Australian red species of seaweed, into a livestock feed supplement. And the supplement in question contains bioactive compounds that stop methane production in the animal’s gut.
Sea Forest was named as a finalist for Prince William Sir David Attenborough’s Earthshot Prize in 2021.

Rees Campbell
A fifth-generation Tasmanian, Rees Campbell has shined a light on Tasmania’s edible native plants.
Rees’ books, Eat Wild Tasmanian, Eat More Wild Tasmanian and The Seaweed Supplement, are the only published sources on Tasmanian edible wild plants.
Her research has been reported in numerous academic and mainstream publications.

Sarah De Jonge
In 2016, Sarah De Jonge started 1000 Hearts — a social enterprise that offers kindness, hope and comfort to those in need.
How? Sarah’s 1000 Hearts inspires people to sew and share pocket-sized fabric love hearts. These hearts have helped people deal with anxiety, grief, depression and separation from loved ones.
Furthermore, Sarah started a 1000 Hearts online community that connects and supports people from around the world.

Associate Professor Louise Nott
Associate Professor Louise Nott strongly believes that cancer patients in Tasmania should receive the same treatment options as those living in mainland Australia.
She has worked tirelessly to overcome disadvantages in cancer treatment. In 2021, she established a comprehensive research unit at Icon Cancer Centre Hobart.
Victoria (VIC)

Madeleine Buchner OAM
In 2009 at just 16 years old, Madeleine Buchner OAM founded Little Dreamers — Australia’s leading young carer support organisation.
Ten years later, in 2019, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia and was one of The Weekly’s Women of The Future winners.
Today, Madeleine is still working towards her goal: to ensure that no young carer feels alone, unsupported or unrecognised.

Professor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO
Professor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, is a Yorta Yorta/Yuin soprano, composer, and educator.
She has pioneered Indigenous representation in Australian music for 35 years and is currently the artistic director of the Short Black Opera Company and Dhungala Children’s Choir.
Deborah also created Australia’s first Indigenous opera, Pecan Summer, and founded Ensemble Dutala, a First Nations chamber ensemble.

WINNER VIC 2025 Australian of the Year Neale Daniher AO
Neale Daniher AO is a former Australian rules player for the Essendon Football Club.
In 2013, Neale was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), and since then, he has non-stop campaigned for a cure.
He co-founded the charity, Fight MND and over the last 10 years has raised millions to help prevent the suffering of those diagnosed with MND in the future.

Wayne Holdsworth
Within three months of his 17-year-old son Mac’s death, Wayne Holdsworth turned his pain into purpose and began fighting to put a stop to sexual extortion.
Wayne is also campaigning to raise the age of social media access to 16 and working to end Australia’s suicide epidemic.
Western Australia (WA)

Kim Collard
A proud Balladong-Whadjuk man of the Noongar Nation, Kim Collard is behind Kulbardi and Kooya Australia Fleet Services — two of Australia’s most successful Indigenous-owned businesses.
Kim, a passionate advocate for Indigenous self-determination, also established the Bibbulmun Fund, which dedicates five per cent of his companies’ profits to support Aboriginal-led initiatives.
Since 2014, the fund has raised over $1.6 million and supported 24 charitable organisations and thousands of individuals across Australia.

WINNER WA 2025 Australian(s) of the Year: Dianne and Ian Haggerty
Dianne and Ian Haggerty, a married couple and founders of Natural Intelligence Farming (NIF), are agriculture pioneers.
Through NIF, Dianne and Ian have developed sustainable farming practices that enhance soil, plant, and animal microbiomes.

Dr Kieran Mulroney
Research microbiologist and CEO of Cytophenix, Dr Kieran Mulroney is dedicated to solving the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Kieran’s work will improve lives all over the world, plus he’s hoping to inspire others to keep searching for ground-breaking medical discoveries.

Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg
Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg — a paediatric anaesthetist — is making surgery much less traumatic for children with her cutting-edge work.
Britta’s patient-centred research has spearheaded significant global practice changes, reducing complications and mortalities. Her goal is to ensure that when a child needs a vital operation, it’s as safe and pain-free as possible.
New South Wales (NSW)

WINNER NSW 2025 Australian of the Year: Kath Koschel
A former professional cricketer and Ironman competitor, Kath Koschel is the founder of Kindness Factory a not-for-profit organisation that aims to bring kindness to all corners of the earth. It is now live in three countries and its curriculum is used at over 3,500 schools in Australia. Read our interview with her here.
Kath has overcome numerous challenges and has used them to fuel her ambition to be a force for good in the world. In her twenties, she broke her back and was told she wouldn’t ever walk again. Following that, she lost her partner to suicide. While she was recovering, she was struck by a 4WD and had to go back to the beginning and learn to walk again. Despite all her hardships, she has become a global figure for hope and kindness.

Inspector Amy Scott VA
Dubbed a “hero police officer” by the selection committee, the 29-year-old has spent the last 19 years in the NSW Police Force. On April 13, 2024, Amy was on-site at a stabbing incident at a Sydney shopping centre where five people tragically lost their lives.
Without waiting for backup, Amy located the offender and faced him head-on. She saved countless lives and showcased immense bravery and selflessness.

Daniel Principe
Youth advocate and educator Daniel Principe is working to combat toxic masculinity before it takes hold of boys across Australia. He is doing this through a series of workshops at schools across the country. He is also the face of the government’s “Consent Can’t Wait” campaign.
The 36-year-old plays an integral role in promoting consent education across the country and preventing harmful behaviours in young people.

Jess Hill
Jess Hill is a journalist, author, educator and speaker who concentrates on illuminating gender-based violence and coercive control.
In her capacity as an advocate for women and children, she presented at hundreds of events and is frequently consulted on law reform.
Her book, See What You Made Me Do, delves into the difficult topic of comestive violence. It won the 2020 Stella Prize and has been adapted into a docuseries on SBS. This led to a follow-up docuseries on the network dubbed Asking for It.
She also hosts the podcast The Trap, which covers coercive control. Not content with that, she also releases a quarterly essay on how the global #MeToo movement affected (and continues to affect) Australia.
Despite living with brain cancer for the last decade, the 41-year-old shows no sign of slowing down her campaign to cover and end gender-based violence.
Queensland (QLD)

Roby Curtis
Roby Curtis is the proud founder of Emmanuel City Mission (ECM).
ECM supports anyone who has fallen on hard times, including those who recently returned from the justice system, people experiencing homelessness or those who just need somewhere to turn to.

Mirusia Louwerse
Acclaimed musician Mirusia Louwerse has used her musical talent to uplift and enrich the lives of others for decades.
Mirusia is the ambassador for the Australian Children’s Music Foundation and Silver Memories. She won the 2024 Redlands Coast Citizen of the Year award.

WINNER QLD 2025 Australian of the Year: Geoffrey Smith
Data analyst Geoffrey Smith co-founded Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA). This is a work-integrated, not-for-profit social enterprise that provides professional data services and Geospatial and Digital Engineering careers for young neurodivergent adults.
Of ASA’s current employees, 80 per cent are neurodivergent and 61 per cent have come from long-term unemployment. This reflects the social barriers that are often experienced by neurodivergent people.

Dr Leon Stensholm
After losing his brother, Dean, to suicide, Dr Leon Stensholm opened Lookout 07.
Lookout 07 provides recreational facilities such as a gym, table tennis, pool tables, resilience programs, and crisis counselling for young people in need.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Jenny Edwards
Jenny Edwards, founder of Light House ArchiScience, believes science can guide us towards more sustainable and energy-efficient living. Specifically in well-designed, welcoming and light-filled homes.
She was named Energy Efficiency Champion at the National Energy Efficiency Conference in 2023.
Jenny and her company are leading the charge in creating comfortable and climate-resilient housing.

WINNER ACT 2025 Australian of the Year: Megan Gilmour
Megan Gilmour is the co-founder of MissingSchool. This group develops technology, education policy and partnerships to help children with chronic illnesses, and who constantly miss school as a result, continue to learn alongside their peers.
Megan was driven to co-found MissingSchool after her son survived a critical illness.

Christina Ryan
Founder of the Disability Leadership Institute (DLI), Christina Ryan has been a feminist and disability advocate for years.
Christina, who has a disability herself, founded the DLI to address the glaring gap in dedicated professional development services for people with disabilities.

Philippa Seldon
Philippa ‘Pip’ Seldon founded The Healthy Tradie Project. This group aims to ensure those in the construction industry have the skills to cope its pressures. The industry is known to have high rates of mental illness and suicide.
Pip was inspired to develop the program after her brother, a carpenter, lost his life to suicide.
How does someone get nominated for Australian of the Year?
Pretty much anyone can nominate anyone for Australian of the Year.
As per Australian of the Year’s website, “The National Australia Day Council calls on all individuals, groups and organisations to nominate an Australian who makes them proud for the Australian of the Year Awards.
“Our selection panel is looking for people who demonstrate excellence in their field, make a significant contribution to the community and are role models for all Australians.”