Do you know the next ACT Australian of the Year?

When you hear the phrase “ACT Australian of the Year”, what do you think of?

If it’s a lifelong successful career with a long list of awards, you may have the wrong idea.

According to Lily Harrison, this is a common misunderstanding.

Lily Harrison was a member of the selection panel for last year’s ACT Australian of the Year Awards. She is also the former Co-Chair of the ACT Youth Advisory Council.

“We really limit our opportunities to celebrate young Australians if we look for a long-term and decorated commitment to the community, rather than for genuine interest and involvement,” she said.

“Naming a recipient can be about recognising and encouraging young people who are active in their community, passionate about something and who have potential.”

Lily read through many nominations last year. She said that her favourite ones to read were for people who didn’t have any awards or titles.

“People who weren’t having a national reach, but who had identified a need specific to their community and were using their particular skill set to respond to that need,” she said.

Nominations close on 31 July 2024. Now is the time to nominate the people in your life who inspire you.

Lily said reading the nominations was her favourite part of being on last year’s panel. Some were from people who loved their grandparent or friend. Others were on behalf of highly accomplished professionals.

“Both were heartening to read and, collectively, the nominations described a community of Canberrans who are passionate, innovative, showing up and making a difference,” she said.

It only takes one nomination for an individual to be considered for the award.

“Regardless of whether someone is named as recipient, or not, knowing someone has noticed their work and taken the time to write a nomination, can be a really rewarding acknowledgment and source of encouragement,” Lily said.

Lily suggests including both the tangible and intangible elements of a nominee.

“The nominations where you could really tell how much the nominee cares about the work they’re doing and how much they are valued by their community were, to me, so much more powerful than those with an enormous number of attached documents and links to news articles,” she said.

“That being said, if you’re nominating them for something like their fundraising or their skill in organising a particular event, be specific about how much money they raised and the number of people who attended. It can be hard to name someone as a recipient if they sound really wonderful but you’re ultimately unsure what it is they’ve achieved.”