Every day, people across Darwin lend a hand, lead by example and bring others together, and it's this community spirit that sets our city apart.
The 2026 Citizen of the Year Awards, run by the City of Darwin on behalf of the Australia Day Council Northern Territory, provides an opportunity to recognise and celebrate these community members, with nominations open until 7 November.
"The Citizen of the Year Awards are a celebration of the incredible impact that individuals can make when dedicating their time, energy and talents to making our community stronger and more inclusive," said City of Darwin CEO, Simone Saunders.
"These awards shine a spotlight on everyday people whose efforts, whether in volunteering, education, health, the arts, sport or environmental initiatives, have a meaningful and lasting impact.
"Celebrating their achievements, not only honours their contributions but also inspires all of us to step up, support one another, and create positive change in our community," she said.
For Donna Rousham, the 2025 Citizen of the Year recipient, described receiving the award as an honour, which acknowledged her work in founding and running Starfish Swim Group, an organisation providing specialised swimming instruction for children with disability.
Donna's dedication had been pivotal in creating a supportive, inclusive environment where children could thrive, gain valuable skills, and experience the joy of swimming. Her commitment had also been recognised nationally with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her exceptional service.
"Often those who serve, motivate, encourage and empower are quiet achievers who work tirelessly in the background and are often invisible to many of us, but you think, 'Hang on - they've done some really great work for the community,' That's who these awards are for."
Mrs Rousham encourages everyone to nominate someone they know who embodies the Darwin community spirit.
The awards recognise people and groups within three categories:
Citizen of the Year: For an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community within education, health, fundraising, volunteering, business, sports, arts, environment or any other area that affects the community.
Young Citizen of the Year: This person, who will be under 30 years of age on 1 January 2026, will have made a significant contribution to their community within local government areas and has taken on the role of mentor, leader, role model or quiet achiever to improve the lives of others.
Community Activity of the Year: The event or activity needs to have made a positive contribution to the community, be of high quality and have been run in a local government area such as education, health, fundraising, volunteering, business, sports, arts or environment.
Nominations for the 2026 Citizen of the Year Awards close on 7 November 2025.
