The City of Ballarat is set to recognise its 2025 Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year at a special ceremony on Thursday 23 January.
The annual Australia Day Community Awards are provided by the Australia Day Council and are administered by Local Government Authorities throughout Australia, on behalf of each council. The awards recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations that give up their time to make the community and region a more vibrant place to live.
Community Event of the Year 2025 nominees
The Community Event of the Year Award is presented to a group or person who has
staged the most outstanding community event, either small or large, between 30 October 2023 and 29 October 2024.
Nominees for the Community Event of the Year include:
- Ballarat Christmas Carols
- Mega Ganesh Festival
- Ballarat Keralite's Foundation Australia Easter Vishu
- Ballarat Malayalee Association ONAM Celebration
- Book Bounce
- Mates Day Ballarat
- Obsidian Dark Beer Festival
- Peach's Run
- Smart Living Expo and
- Uprising Cup.
Ballarat Young Citizen of the Year 2025 nominees
The Young Citizen of the Year must be under 25 years of age on 26 January 2025 and is someone already showing leadership, passion and commitment to the community and region. Nominees for Young Citizen of the Year include:
- Noah Quick and
- Olivia Wiggins.
Ballarat Citizen of the Year 2025 nominee
The Ballarat Citizen of the Year is someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the community and region. The nominees for Ballarat Citizen of the Year are:
- Adam Ridley
- Allanah Crameri
- Christine Segaert
- Diosdado Rivera Jr.
- Jeff Rootes
- Maree Robertson
- Sarah Kernighan
- Sheryl Page
City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the awards are a great reflection of the community spirit that Ballarat is known for.
"I am thrilled with the calibre of events and people who have been nominated as part of this year's Australia Day Community Awards. They are a great reflection of what makes Ballarat such a special place to live, work and visit. We are a compassionate, caring community that is prepared to go above and beyond to enrich the lives of others," she said.
