Citizen of the Year Awards
Who do you appreciate?
Nominations for the 2026 Citizen of the Year Awards will open from 1 March 2025.
Our community is full of people and groups who have gone above and beyond to make a real difference.
Each year the Citizen of the Year awards recognise people and groups who continue to make a difference in our Council area (City of Adelaide; Adelaide 5000 & North Adelaide 5006).
The City of Adelaide's awards comprise of 4 categories:
- Citizen of the Year – This is presented to someone making an extraordinary contribution to the community and may recognise outstanding service over a number of years. To be eligible, the person must be an Australian Citizen.
- Young Citizen of the Year – Presented to a young emerging leader who is making a real difference in their community. To be eligible, the person must be an Australian Citizen aged over 16 years and under 30 years age on the 26th January, 2026.
- Community Event of the Year – Awarded to the person or group who has staged the most outstanding event for their community. To be eligible, the person or group must be Australian Citizens.
- Award for Active Citizenship – This is presented to a person or group delivering outstanding work on an event or project for the community during the past calendar year. The person or group need not be Australian Citizens.
The City of Adelaide presents the awards at its Australia Day celebrations.
Who to nominate
Does someone in our local Council area make you proud?
Citizen of the Year awards acknowledge and celebrate local Council residents and groups for their contribution to making a better Adelaide.
Nominate someone who contributes to our community, motivates those around them and reminds of us how great we can be when we are at our best.
These individuals could be a volunteer, an advocate, an entrepreneur, a researcher, a sporting legend, or a community hero!
This is your chance to amplify someone’s story and tell us about who they are, what they have achieved in our Council area and why you would like to see them recognised.
How to nominate
Who do you appreciate?
Nominations for the 2026 Citizen of the Year Awards are open from 1 March 2025 and we need your help to recognise the unsung heroes in our local Council area.
This is your chance to recognise someone whose work and commitments make our city a better place to live, work and play.
It takes just minutes to nominate an unsung hero using our online form.
A panel assesses each submission.