We are thrilled to unveil the inspiring recipients of the NSW Humanitarian Awards 2025! These prestigious awards shine a light on the remarkable individuals, organisations, and initiatives who are creating profound and meaningful change in the lives of refugees across New South Wales.
Discover their incredible stories, learn about their groundbreaking work, and be inspired by their unwavering commitment to humanity.
Meet the 2025 NSW Humanitarian Awards Winners
The Humanitarian Awards are proudly supported each year by our official partners, The Refugee Council of Australia and Refugee Week.
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.
Best Project – An outstanding project working with or assisting refugees. The project can be run by an individual group or organisation and can either be ongoing or completed during the last year.
Business – Small or large businesses employing, assisting, established/run by or in any other way supporting 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 supporting, prioritising and/or raising awareness of refugee issues.
Refugee Community Worker – A former refugee working on refugee issues with their own or other refugee communities, in either a paid or unpaid position.
Refugee Supporter – A member of the broader Australian community, of any background, supporting and assisting refugees in any capacity, in either a paid or unpaid position.
Sport – Awarded to an organisation or individual for outstanding efforts in promoting sporting endeavours among people from refugee backgrounds.
Youth – AA young person aged 12-25 of refugee background making an outstanding contribution to Australian society in their chosen field.
Education – Schools, universities, and other educational institutions, or individuals working at these institutions, who assist refugees by breaking down barriers to education.
Rural & Regional – Organisations or individuals working in regional areas of NSW to assist refugees.
Digital Advocate – A digital advocate who uses online platforms and social networks to promote the rights, inclusion, and well-being of refugees and those with refugee-like experiences. This individual could be part of the refugee community or a member of the broader community, and their work can be either paid or unpaid. The individual must be independent and cannot be a full-time employee of a larger media organisation at the time of their advocacy work.
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 can nominate another individual, organisation or project for an Award. An individual may also nominate themselves.
Nominations for the 2025 Humanitarian Awards are now open. You can make a nomination by going completing the 2025 Humanitarian Awards Nomination Form at this link: https://www.startts.org.au/nsw-humanitarian-awards-2025/
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 for the 2025 NSW Humanitarian Awards have now closed. We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who submitted a nomination for this year’s awards, helping us recognise so many deserving individuals and initiatives.
Please check back later in the year for details regarding the nomination period for the 2026 NSW Humanitarian Awards.