2026 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS NOMINEES FOR NSW ANNOUNCED
Nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards for NSW include the inventor of baby food for coral, a lawyer seeking justice for LGBTIQ+ hate crime victims, a global humanitarian, an ultramarathoner helping the homeless, the founder of a cooking movement for men, and the world’s oldest competitive cowboy.
The nominees are:
2026 Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Nadia Badawi AM - Pioneering neonatologist (Warrawee)
Dr Jennifer Matthews - Marine biologist (Manly Vale)
Nicholas Stewart - LGBTIQ+ rights advocate (Waterloo)
Dr Alison Thompson OAM - Global humanitarian (Sutherland Shire)
2026 Senior Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Henry Brodaty AO - Dementia treatment pioneer (Double Bay)
Bob Holder - Professional cowboy (Cootamundra)
Sue Mann - Home care nurse (Wamberal, Central Coast)
Peter Watson - Founder, Men’s Kitchen (Forestville)
2026 Young Australian of the Year for NSW
Nedd Brockmann - Ultramarathon runner for homelessness (Randwick)
Jack Brown - Co-founder, Talk2MeBro (Wollongong)
Ruby Riethmuller - Girls wellbeing champion (Sydney)
Dr Rand Younes - Dental health advocate (Sydney)
2026 Local Hero for NSW
Andrew Clark and Lyndell Clark - Robotics mentors (Wollongong)
Kate Cleary - Restoring lives (Galong)
Aneika Kapeen - Indigenous youth advocate (Clarence Valley)
Theresa Mitchell - Carer for the homeless (Banora Point)
The nominees for NSW are among 134 people being recognised across all states and territories.
The NSW award recipients will be announced on Monday 10 November 2025 in a ceremony at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2026 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO said the NSW nominees are inspirational.
“The nominees for the NSW awards inspire others through extraordinary achievements and contributions,” said Mark.
“They remind us we are all capable of so much, whether it’s a simple act of care which creates a movement, a moment spent with someone in need that brings about change for many, fighting for what’s right or doing things differently.”
ENDS.
Nominee bios are on the following pages and can also be viewed from australianoftheyear.org.au.
Nominees have supplied photos which can be downloaded from this link: NSW Nominee Photos
MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Browne 0414 673 762 or nicole@mediaopps.com.au