Celebrating Courage, Resilience, and Community Impact
The wait is over! We are incredibly proud to officially announce the outstanding winners and highly commended recipients of the 2026 NSW Humanitarian Awards.
Co-organised by STARTTS and the Refugee Council of Australia, these prestigious awards recognise the exceptional individuals, teams, and organisations who have demonstrated unwavering dedication to human rights, healing, and refugee support across New South Wales. From grassroots community heroes to groundbreaking educational programs, their collective efforts continue to foster hope and build lasting opportunities for inclusion.
Explore their inspiring stories, discover their vital work, and join us in celebrating their profound contribution to our communities.
Essential information
If you have a nominee in mind, but you’re not sure which category to nominate them for, have a look at the category explanations below. Also, don’t forget that you can nominate people in up to three categories.
The 2026 awards recognise achievements and contributions across a diverse range of fields. You may nominate a candidate for up to three categories:
- Best Project: An outstanding project working with or assisting refugees. The project can be run by an individual, group, or organisation and can be ongoing or completed within the last year.
- Business: Small or large businesses employing, assisting, or supported by refugees.
- Government & Legal: Individuals or organisations from the government or legal sectors working to advise, assist, or support asylum seekers or refugees.
- Media: Media outlets, journalists, or media officers prioritising and raising awareness of refugee issues.
- Refugee Community Worker: A former refugee working on refugee issues with their own or other refugee communities (paid or unpaid).
- Refugee Supporter: A member of the broader Australian community supporting and assisting refugees in any capacity (paid or unpaid).
- Sport: An organisation or individual promoting sporting endeavours among people from refugee backgrounds.
- Youth: A young person (aged 12-25) of refugee background making an outstanding contribution to Australian society.
- Education: Schools, universities, and educational institutions (or staff) assisting former refugees by breaking down barriers to education.
- Rural & Regional: Organisations or individuals working in regional areas of NSW to assist refugees.
- Digital Impact (formerly Digital Advocate): Individuals or initiatives using digital platforms to create meaningful impact for refugees through storytelling, journalism, campaigns, or online engagement.
Anyone can be nominated for an Award, as long as their work with or for refugees is worthy of recognition within NSW and falls within one of the ten award categories. Nominees can be individuals, organisations or specific projects. Employees of STARTTS and The Refugee Council of Australia are not eligible for nominations.
Anyone making an outstanding contribution to the lives of refugees in NSW is eligible. Nominees can be:
- Individuals
- Community groups or organisations
- Projects or initiatives
Work can be paid or voluntary, provided it demonstrates meaningful impact and a commitment to humanitarian values. Self-nominations are welcome.
- Step 1: Read the category descriptions and choose the most suitable one(s).
- Step 2: Complete the online nomination form.
- Step 3: Submit before 10 May 2026 at 11:59PM.
The Nomination Form is very easy to fill out and you’ll find all the info there, but in a nutshell we want to know:
- What work has the nominee undertaken to support refugees within NSW?
- Why is this work an exceptional contribution to the field, above and beyond other people or projects?
Nominations officially closed at 11:59 pm (AEST) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026. The submission period is now complete, and no further entries can be accepted.