The 2024 Young Australians of the Year Tell Us Why You Should Nominate Your Mates

If you ever needed hope about the future, you don’t have to look very far.

If you look at the 2024 Young Australians of the Year, you’ll probably feel pretty good about how the future is going to look.

Within the 2024 recipients alone, there’s a nurse, swimmer, founder, singer and conservation biologist (to name a few).

But 2025 will soon be creeping in which means nominations for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards are open now.

Maybe you know someone aged 16-30 who has done some pretty cool stuff, or you know of someone who is kicking goals within their field.

If so, you should defs nominate them to be a Young Aus of the Year in your state/territory.

We asked some of the Young Australians of the Year from 2024 why you should nominate someone.

Nikhil Autur, NSW.

 

 

 

 

 

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To bridge a gap in the market, Nikhil created Knia Maps a map which plots accessibility at major Sydney hospitals, universities, public venues and transport and local small businesses.  

As someone who has survived cancer, he also founded Bheem Health - a social enterprise which provides low-cost medical devices for sick and vulnerable people.

“It’s tough working very hard on things that sometimes aren't cared for by society, while feeling like you're not making, or that you'll never make as big of a difference as you wish,” he said.

“But being nominated for Young Aussie of the Year alone made me realise that others do care. 

“I'd 100% encourage everyone to nominate someone you think is remarkable, or ask to be nominated yourself if you think that you, or they, deserve it.”

Kate Kirwin, WA.

 

 

 

 

 

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She was only 22 years old when she founded She Codes Australia, and it was because Kate found there simply wasn’t a place for women in coding.

For her, being nominated meant she could go full-time within She Codes and continue advocating for her community.

“My advice for other young people is simple: find a problem you want to solve, something you are passionate about, and do that,” she told Student Edge.

“It's easy to think that as any one person you can't make a difference, but a big impact is the sum of lots and lots of small changes.”

Peter Susanto, NT.

 

 

 

 

 

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While the rest of us were trying to grasp one language at two years old, Peter Susanto was already translating words from Bahasa Indonesia into English.

And at 15 years old, he started a Bachelor of Clinical Science at Charles Darwin University on his way to a career in medicine.

Peter told us being nominated has helped him spread his message.

“This platform has been so powerful in helping to spread my message to encourage young people to take action and be involved in their communities,” he said.

“This experience has inspired me, as a future doctor, to pursue pathways that can improve the holistic wellbeing of the community from every dimension of health.

“My advice for future Young Aussies is be brave and put yourself out there so you can open as many doors as possible to help others.”

Caitlin Figueiredo, ACT.

 

 

 

 

 

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Before she became the 2024 ACT Young Australian, Caitlin worked to bring young people’s voices into parliament through a national youth advisory council.

She was elected to the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) board and has since transformed the board to better represent young people in Australia.

To this day, Caitlin still does not know who nominated her but said the nomination marked an uphill “turning point” in her life.

“Being nominated for my work in youth affairs and democratic activation meant a lot,” she told Student Edge.

“…hearing I was nominated and that members of my community felt our achievements with the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and Girls Takeover Parliament made a difference to the lives of others reframed the way I thought about my career and myself.

“My advice for future young Aussies is to believe change is possible and keep fighting until you turn it into a reality.”

If you know a young Aussie aged 16-30 who is doing some inspiring stuff, nominate them to be a Young Australian of the Year here.