Nominating for Awards

Nominating for an award

Through the Australian system of honours and awards the community can recognise the gallantry, bravery, achievement and service of Australians.

Recipients are considered for awards following their nomination by another individual or specific organisation or following their own application or an application on their behalf.

This section provides information on honours and awards that are based on nominations. This website has a separate section on awards that require applications from the recipient.

Public nominations

The honours and awards that are based on nominations from the public either by an individual or community group are:

Order of Australia

Australian Bravery Decorations

Organisation nominations

Honours and awards that are based on nominations from a specific organisation are:

Meritorious Service Awards

Department of Defence

Gallantry Decorations

Distinguished Service Decorations

Conspicuous Service Decorations

Nursing Service Cross

Expired nominations

Honours and awards that were based on nominations but are no longer available are:

How to nominate

Nominations for the various awards are processed and considered by different people and groups.

For instance, the Council for the Order of Australia considers every nomination for the Order of Australia. The Australian Bravery Decorations Council considers nominations for the Australian Bravery Decorations.

The Department of Defence Directorate of Honours and Awards administers nominations for: Gallantry Decorations, Distinguished Service Decorations, Conspicuous Service Decorations, Nursing Service Cross, Unit Citations and the Champion Shots Medal.

Information on awards can be found in the relevant nomination form. Some of the nomination forms can be downloaded from this website.

Each award has its own timetable for announcement and investiture.

There is more information on this website about all the awards in the Australian honours system, including how to nominate. There are also one-page fact sheets that can be downloaded and printed.

Nominating for the Order of Australia

Appointments to the Order of Australia confer recognition for outstanding achievement and service to the Australian community or humanity at large.

Nominations to the General Division of the Order of Australia come directly from the community. The nomination may come from an individual or a group such as a community organisation or professional body.

The nomination should include an outline of how the nominee has made a significant contribution to the community. It is helpful to include examples that show how the nominee has gone above and beyond what could reasonably be expected of someone in a similar position. Contact details for the nominator (the person making the nomination), the nominee and referees who can directly comment on the nominee also need to be provided.

All nominations are confidential. The person being nominated should not be advised of their nomination or approached for information at any stage.

The Honours Secretariat at Government House in Canberra processes nominations in order of receipt. Consideration of a nomination can take between 18 months and two years.

Every nomination is considered by the Council for the Order of Australia. The Council makes recommendations for awards to the Governor-General and also recommends the level of award.

The Governor-General makes an offer of appointment to the Order. Nominators are contacted approximately one week prior to the official publication of the Honours List for which the nomination was considered.

There are public announcements of appointments to the Order of Australia on Australia Day (26 January) and the Queen’s Birthday public holiday (June).

If a nomination is unsuccessful the nominator will be advised in writing approximately one week prior to the official publication of the Honours List for which the nomination was considered.

Honorary appointments to the Order of Australia may be made to people who are not Australian citizens for extraordinary service to Australia or humanity at large.

Completed nomination forms for the Order of Australia should be sent to:

The Secretary
Order of Australia
Government House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

The Chief of the Australian Defence Force calls for nominations for the Military Division.

Nominating for Australian Bravery Decorations

The Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community.

Anyone may nominate any other person for a bravery decoration.

The nomination may be for a brave act by an Australian citizen in Australia or overseas. A citizen of another country carrying out a brave act in Australia may also be nominated.

The Honours Secretariat at Government House researches the nominations. The Australian Bravery Decorations Council then considers them.

The Council has fourteen members including representatives of each state and territory, two ex-officio members and four community members appointed by the Governor-General.

The Australian Bravery Decorations Council makes recommendations for awards to the Governor-General and the Council also recommends the level of awards.

There is no set timeframe for announcing bravery awards. Generally there are two announcements a year.

Completed nomination forms for the Australian Bravery Decorations should be sent to:

The Secretary
Australian Bravery Decorations Council
Government House
CANBERRA, ACT 2600

Nominating for the Public Service Medal

The Public Service Medal recognises outstanding service by members of the Australian public services.

The various Public Service Medal Committees consider nominations for eligible employees.

Committees meet twice a year to consider nominations for the Australia Day and Queen's Birthday honour lists. Closing dates for nominations should be checked with individual Committee Secretariats but are generally 1 February and 1 August each year.

After considering the nominations, the committee recommends a list of proposed receipients to the responsible Minister or Premier, who then makes a recommendation to the Governor-General who has the authority to approve the awards.

There is an annual quota for each government public service, with a total of 100 medals available for awarding every year.

Nomination forms

Nomination forms for the Order of Australia, Australian Bravery Decorations and the Public Service Medal are available from this website.

Nomination forms for the honours administered by the Department of Defence can be obtained from the Department of Defence, Directorate of Honours and Awards, phone 1800 111 321.

You can download nomination forms for:

Please note that nomination forms cannot be lodged electronically. They should be posted to the address shown on the nomination form.

Note: For more information on PDF files and their use see the PDF Help page on this site.

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Last Updated: 29 April, 2009