Awards and Prizes

Four Tasmanians are recognised for their services and bravery at a ceremony for the 2026 Australian of the Year awards.

This year's ACT Australian of the Year honours go to a refugee health expert, football pioneer, historical guide and mental health advocate. 

When Katherine Bennell-Pegg was growing up, she was "mesmerised by the stars" — an enthusiasm that motivated her to pursue astronaut training, and has now secured an honour of a different kind.

The psychiatrist who pioneered the country's first gaming disorder clinic at a public hospital has been named the 2026 Australian of the Year for WA.

An Australian film and television awards ceremony that has attracted Hollywood heavyweights, including Margot Robbie, will be held in Queensland until 2028.

The Alice Springs team has been rewarded for its culture of listening to reduce high suicide rates in the Northern Territory.

Hungarian British author David Szalay bests past winner Kiran Desai and former shortlistee Andrew Miller to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his sixth book, the "extraordinary, singular" Flesh.

Alison Thompson was working as an investment banker in New York City when the planes hit the twin towers. She has since powered a global humanitarian movement and today has been recognised for her work. 

Salt-N-Pepa will this weekend be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category. The group, founded in 1985, has had a huge impact on popular music and culture.

The radio host and former TV presenter has been recognised for her fundraising work to progress brain cancer research.

After being featured in Dua Lipa's book club and the SATC spin-off, Helen Garner has won the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction for her collected diaries, How to End a Story.

World-famous footballer David Beckham is handed the honour, for services to sport and charity, at a ceremony at Windsor Castle. 

From a dedicated doctor and a rubbish warrior, to a local hero who stopped a knife attack and helped fight Black Summer fires, the 2026 Northern Territory Australian of the Year awards are spotlighting local legends.

'Spiky characters' and 'luminous writing': Here's what we thought of the prestigious literary award's 2025 shortlist, the first with Sarah Jessica Parker as judge.

Carol Mudford's grassroots charity, sHedway, is dedicated to suicide prevention and positive mental health in the shearing industry.

Meet the national finalists in the running for the 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award celebrating change-makers in rural, regional and remote Australia.

The 40 shortlisted images pair talented nature photography with humour that often relies on capturing a moment at just the right time.

A new world record for sheep shearing has been set in southern New South Wales by a team of five shearers who clipped on average a sheep a minute for eight hours straight.

Tasmanian wilderness retrievals are rarely straightforward, and now the teams involved in some of the state's most complex rescue efforts have been awarded at a national level.

Robbie Arnott's Dusk about twins hunting a puma in Tasmania, and Tasma Walton's I Am Nannertgarrook about an Aboriginal woman kidnapped and sold into slavery, have tied to win the ARA Historical Novel Prize.