Australia Day 2021 is a great occasion for all Australians to come together to ‘reflect, respect and celebrate’. It presents us with a welcome opportunity to reflect on our recent challenges, respect those who put others before themselves and celebrate our nation’s resilience and unity.

It is also a time to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional people who make Australia a better place, to thank those doing good things in our community and recognise those achieving greatness.

Announced as part of Australia Day celebrations, the Australia Day Honours List and the Australian of the Year Awards both recognise individuals who make an extraordinary contribution to our diverse and vibrant country. Australian honours and awards are unique in that they were designed for the community to make nominations. This means anyone can nominate someone for an Australian honour or award, at any time.

Australian Honours List

The Order of Australia recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement in any field of endeavour or service.

The lead up to Australia Day is a timely reminder to nominate someone who has gone above and beyond for our community. If you know someone who has contributed extraordinarily, you can nominate them today by completing the Order of Australia nomination form.

The Australia Day 2021 Honours List will be announced by the Governor-General and published on the Governor-General’s website on 26 January.

Australian of the Year Awards

Coordinated by the National Australia Day Council, the 2021 Australian of the Year Awards are announced on the eve of Australia Day each year. Out of the state and territory award recipients announced in late 2020, four national awardees will be announced on Monday night: for the Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero.

Nominating is easy and can be done online at any time at via the Australian of the Year Awards nomination page.