Victoria's finest: 16 nominees vie for 2026 Australian of the Year

Victoria has put forward sixteen nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year awards, a diverse group whose work spans mental health, disaster rescue, refugee support, Indigenous justice, and rural community care. The announcement, made on October 23, represents the state's contribution to a national recognition program that will ultimately crown winners across four categories in January 2026.

In the main Australian of the Year category, four Victorians are competing for the honour. Carrie Bickmore, a radio and television presenter, has raised over $27 million for brain cancer research since 2015, driven by personal loss—her husband Greg died of the disease in 2010. In 2021, she established The Brain Cancer Centre, which has since leveraged her foundation's investment to secure an additional $45 million in research funding. The centre now supports clinical trials across the country, some of them the first of their kind globally, with Bickmore's stated aim to ensure every Australian diagnosed with brain cancer can access the best available treatments. Hugh van Cuylenburg founded The Resilience Project after a transformative year volunteering at an underprivileged school in the Himalayas. His organisation now partners with 1,200 schools annually, delivering evidence-based mental health programs to young people. He has also worked with elite sporting teams including the Matildas and Australian Cricket Team, and co-hosts a popular podcast called The Imperfects. Professor Arnold Dix, a 61-year-old geologist and international tunnelling expert, became widely known for his role in the 2023 Silkyara Tunnel rescue in India, where 41 workers were trapped high in the Himalayas. During the seventeen-day operation, Dix made a critical decision to switch to slower, safer excavation techniques after machinery failed, a choice that prevented further collapse. He accepted no payment for his work. Leila Sweeney-McDougall, a 36-year-old filmmaker, raised $2 million with no prior film experience to produce and co-star in a feature film called Just a Farmer, released in 2024. The film addresses the mental health crisis among Australian farmers—one dies by suicide every ten days—and has become a national catalyst for conversations about mental health and healing in rural communities.

The Senior Australian of the Year category recognises four nominees whose contributions span decades. Thi Be Ha, 75, arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam in 1979 and has spent over forty years supporting refugee and migrant communities. She co-founded and leads the Springvale Indochinese Mutual Assistance Association, which now serves tens of thousands of people and is regarded as a model for migrant community organisations. Uncle Leonard Clarke, 76, is a Gunditjmara and Kirrae Whurrong elder who has advocated for Indigenous justice and rights for over fifty years. As a Koori Court elder for twenty-five years, he has worked to make justice systems more culturally responsive. In 2021, he founded the Shara Clarke Aboriginal Culture and Education Centre in memory of his daughter, offering education and employment pathways to young Aboriginal people. Jane Edmanson, 75, has been the only presenter with ABC's Gardening Australia since the program began in 1990, teaching generations of Australians sustainable gardening practices and environmental stewardship. Bryan Lipmann, 77, founded Wintringham after witnessing the appalling conditions faced by elderly homeless people. The organisation now supports 3,000 people with accommodation and home care services, operating under the principle of providing a home until the end of life.

Four young Australians are nominated in their category. Tim Harte, 28, acquired multiple disabilities at nineteen and shifted from a ballet career to champion disability rights and sustainable energy solutions. As a PhD researcher at Deakin University and CSIRO, he has developed new sustainable energy storage materials and co-founded the ChemAbility Network to support members with disabilities in STEM. Dr Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, 29, combines civil engineering and materials science with Aboriginal knowledge systems in his research. His work on Xanthorrhoea resin led to a breakthrough in designing a natural crack repair agent for concrete, and he has pioneered collaborative approaches with traditional owners to preserve cultural knowledge. Abraham Kuol, 28, mentors young people while pursuing a PhD in Criminology at Deakin University. He co-founded the Black Rhinos, a soccer and basketball club for at-risk youth, and has helped raise over $3.5 million for programs supporting African-Australian families and justice-involved youth. Lucy Skelton ran for State Parliament at twenty, driven by the belief that young voices should shape policy. She now works at state and federal levels on climate action, mental health, and gender equity, and launched FORE Australia, a non-partisan initiative that created a Policy Library of One-Page Briefs to make evidence-based policy solutions accessible to policymakers and the public.

The Local Hero category recognises six nominees working at grassroots level. Fiona and Anna Glumac have pioneered intergenerational childcare, bringing elderly residents and children together to reduce loneliness and build community ties. Carly McKinnis, 51, and Tammie Meehan, 48, established the One Red Tree Resource Centre in Ararat to address the desperate shortage of mental health support in rural Victoria. Over three years, their partnerships have created psychology placements across twenty-seven schools and health facilities, with graduates taking positions throughout rural and regional Victoria. Susan Moore, 64, has spent two decades rescuing and caring for injured and orphaned wildlife through her Bass Coast and South Gippsland Wildlife Rescue and Shelter. Linda Widdup, 60, founded Aussie Hay Runners in 2019 to deliver feed to farmers during drought and natural disasters. The voluntary organisation now operates more than seventy trucks and has delivered over 90,000 bales of fodder, providing both practical relief and morale support to distressed farming communities.

The sixteen Victorian nominees are among 134 Australians being recognised across all states and territories. Victorian award recipients will be announced on November 6 in a ceremony at the Arts Centre Melbourne, which will be viewable online. The four Victorian winners will then join recipients from other states and territories as national finalists in the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards, to be presented in Canberra on January 25, 2026. Mark Fraser, CEO of the National Australia Day Council, said the nominees reflected the power of individuals to create positive change. "From lives spent advocating for others, selflessly giving to care for those in need, finding new ways to solve problems or create change, they are all driven by a sense of caring," he said.