2026 Australian of the Year Awards Nominees for NSW Announced: includes Peter Watson - Dr. Jennifer Matthews
Nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards for NSW include the inventor of baby food for coral, a lawyer seeking justice for LGBTIQ+ hate crime victims, a global humanitarian, an ultramarathoner helping the homeless, the founder of a cooking movement for men, and the world’s oldest competitive cowboy.
The nominees are:
2026 Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Nadia Badawi AM - Pioneering neonatologist (Warrawee)
Dr Jennifer Matthews - Marine biologist (Manly Vale)
Nicholas Stewart - LGBTIQ+ rights advocate (Waterloo)
Dr Alison Thompson OAM - Global humanitarian (Sutherland Shire)
2026 Senior Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Henry Brodaty AO - Dementia treatment pioneer (Double Bay)
Bob Holder - Professional cowboy (Cootamundra)
Sue Mann - Home care nurse (Wamberal, Central Coast)
Peter Watson - Founder, Men’s Kitchen (Forestville)
2026 Young Australian of the Year for NSW
Nedd Brockmann - Ultramarathon runner for homelessness (Randwick)
Jack Brown - Co-founder, Talk2MeBro (Wollongong)
Ruby Riethmuller - Girls wellbeing champion (Sydney)
Dr Rand Younes - Dental health advocate (Sydney)
2026 Local Hero for NSW
Andrew Clark and Lyndell Clark - Robotics mentors (Wollongong)
Kate Cleary - Restoring lives (Galong)
Aneika Kapeen - Indigenous youth advocate (Clarence Valley)
Theresa Mitchell - Carer for the homeless (Banora Point)
The nominees for NSW are among 134 people being recognised across all states and territories.
A little more about the local nominees
Peter Watson
Founder, Men’s Kitchen
2026 NSW Senior Australian of the Year Nominee
Peter Watson is transforming thousands of lives with a simple act – teaching older men to cook in a supportive, social setting. What began as six men in a Forestville kitchen has grown into a thriving Australia-wide network, where each month 100 volunteers run sessions for 200 participants.
It all started when Peter’s own father became a widower. He had no idea how to cook. From being a strong man all his life, his health slid into decline.
Peter didn’t want to be in the same situation if his own wife were to pass away before him. He also understood the silent challenges faced by older men – particularly isolation and loss of confidence.
More than a cooking class, Men’s Kitchen offers a caring environment to build practical skills and real camaraderie. There’s also access to a psychologist for participants who are struggling, such as from the loss of a partner.
The Men's Kitchen, which now has Warriewood and Seaforth as well as Forestville, and a chat with Peer, President of the Men's Kitchen Association, runs as this week's Profile.
Peter Watson. Photo: courtesy Westfield
Dr Jennifer Matthews
Marine biologist
2026 NSW Australian of the Year Nominee
Inspired during her first scuba dive in Thailand in 2009 where she saw entire coral reefs devastated by bleaching, Dr Jennifer Matthews has dedicated her career to protecting ocean ecosystems.
Her pioneering research is unravelling life-saving nutrient interactions in corals to better inform management strategies. She developed a breakthrough coral “baby food” that more than doubles young coral survival, which is now being adopted by aquaculture and reef restoration programs across Australia.
Jennifer has also designed innovative microplastic removal technologies for wastewater and aquatic systems.
Dr. Jennifer Matthews. Photo supplied
Beyond the lab, Jennifer founded Big Blue Conservation in Thailand, training hundreds of volunteers and local communities in reef protection and restoration. Closer to home, she launched the Sydney Coral Project, a landmark citizen science and research program uncovering NSW’s unique coral ecosystems – the southernmost coral communities in the world.
Through science, innovation and education, Jennifer is driving solutions that give reefs a fighting chance.
The NSW award recipients will be announced on Monday 10 November 2025 in a ceremony at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2026 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO said the NSW nominees are inspirational.
“The nominees for the NSW awards inspire others through extraordinary achievements and contributions,” said Mark.
“They remind us we are all capable of so much, whether it’s a simple act of care which creates a movement, a moment spent with someone in need that brings about change for many, fighting for what’s right or doing things differently.”