Australia Day Awards

Cairns Regional Council's annual Australia Day Awards recognise citizens who have made a major contribution to the community.

This is your opportunity to nominate a friend, colleague, or relative who deserves recognition for their achievements and contributions to the Cairns community. Their contributions could be through their personal involvement in local clubs, sporting groups, volunteering, charity work, business, cultural or youth groups, or those who take on an advocating role to speak up for their community.

The winners will be announced at Cairns Regional Council's Australia Day Awards Ceremony held on Australia Day in 2026.

Nominations are now open, and we want to make sure everyone knows how to submit an eligible and impactful nomination.

Award categories include

• Citizen of the Year
• Young Citizen of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year

Nominees must be residents of the Cairns Regional Council area who, through their personal efforts, have made a significant contribution to the community.

Nominate here

How to nominate

To help your nomination stand out and be considered, please ensure that it:

1. Is at least 100 words long
2. Clearly aligns with the category criteria - Australia Day Awards eligibility and criteria ( PDF, 0.18 MB )
3. Includes specific examples of how the nominee's actions relate to the category

Please note: nominators can only submit one nominee per award category.

What to include in your nomination

To give your nominee the best chance, consider these questions when writing:

• What contributions /achievements has this person made in their field of interest, community, or group?
• How have they been recognised in the media, professionally or by receiving awards?
• What publications have their achievements been featured in such as newspaper clippings, journal article, case reports?

Judging and eligibility

Once nominations are closed, the judging panel will carefully review each submission.

• Cairns Regional Council may contact the nominator to verify details or request further information.
• If your nomination is ruled ineligible, Cairns Regional Council will notify you directly.

Cairns Regional Council looks forward to acknowledging and celebrating the outstanding contributions of the members of our community.

Winners