Citizen of the Year Awards

2027 Citizen of the Year Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2027 Citizen of the Year Awards.

The Citizen of the Year Awards celebrate and recognise individuals and organisations that have made noteworthy contributions during the current year or have provided outstanding service over a number of years to their local community, above and beyond normal employment duties. These contributions encompass areas such as education, health, fundraising, charitable and voluntary services, business, sport, arts, the environment, or any other sector that enhances community well-being.

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees must be Australian Citizens (except for Award for Active Citizenship and Junior Citizen).
Awards will not be granted posthumously.
Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Nominees must be at least 16 years of age in the year of the award presentation (except Junior Citizen).
Nominees for the category of Young Citizen of the Year must be 30 years of age or less on 26 January in the year of the award presentation.
Nominees for the category of Junior Citizen of the Year must be less than 16 years of age on 26 January in the year of the award presentation.
Sitting state and federal politicians, current vice-regal officers, and current elected members of council are not eligible.
Retired politicians, elected members, and vice-regal officers will be considered for work undertaken in addition to their official duties.
Unsuccessful nominees may be re-nominated in subsequent years.
Groups of people, organisations, or couples will not normally be eligible for Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year awards, although in exceptional cases, the DCMR assessment panel reserves the right to consider such nominations.
Both individuals and organisations should be considered for the Community Event of the Year award as this recognises the organising body or committee responsible for the event.
Absolutely NO weight is given to the number of times a person or organisation is nominated.
Previous recipients of the award categories may receive the award in the future; however, the work that this person or organisation made in receiving the original award may not be considered.
Council may choose to resubmit nominations that do not receive an award for future consideration in subsequent years of the program.

Key Dates

Nominations open: Thursday 1 October 2026

Nominations close: Friday 20 November 2026

Procedure

The Australia Day Council of South Australia and participating Local Councils call for nominations from community groups and individuals. Nominations can be submitted online via this website or using the form provided by Council. We encourage you to complete an online nomination form via the Australia Day Council of South Australia's website by clicking here. Alternatively, you can download a form by clicking here, complete it, scan it, and submit it to Council via postmaster@mtr.sa.gov.au. You can also deliver the completed form in person or via post (must be received before 20 November 2026) to the Council Administration Office at 3 Stuart Street, Melrose.

All local nominations submitted via the online portal before the closing date are provided by the Australia Day Council of South Australia to Council for consideration and selection. Nominations will be assessed by Elected Members at the December 2026 Ordinary Meeting of Council, currently scheduled for 15 December, based on information supplied in the nomination forms. Awards will be presented by a Council official as part of our community’s 2027 Australia Day celebrations.

Councils will then forward our Award recipients to the Australia Day Council of South Australia to be considered for the State Awards, presented by the Governor of South Australia. Unfortunately, the winner of the Junior Citizen of the Year is not eligible to compete in the State Awards because this category was created by DCMR, and there is no equivalent category in the State Awards.

Let's come together and celebrate those who make our community a better place! Nominate someone you believe deserves recognition, and let's make the 2027 Citizen of the Year Awards the most memorable yet! For more information or to nominate a worthy recipient via the portal, please click here.

(PLEASE NOTE: If you are nominating a special young person for the Junior Citizen of the Year Award, you must use this application form and submit it directly to Council as we have created a modified nomination form to include the Junior Citizen of the Year Award.)

If you have any queried or require additional information about the application process, please email Council at postmaster@mtr.sa.gov.au or call 8666 2014.