2026 AOTY

Australian of the Year Awards

National event coverage from State announcements to the national stage

Each year, the Australian of the Year Awards recognises individuals who make an extraordinary contribution to the country — across community, leadership, innovation and service.

Reflect. Respect. Celebrate.

Salty Dingo works alongside the National Australia Day Council to deliver photography and video coverage across the full program — from State and Territory announcements through to the national Awards in Canberra.

We work closely with Nicole Browne and the Media Ops team to ensure coverage aligns with national communications, media distribution and the pace of the program.

Overview

Spanning multiple locations, stakeholders and timelines, the project requires consistency from early announcements through to the national stage.

The brief

Deliver consistent, high-quality coverage across the entire program.

• Capture each State and Territory recipient in a way that reflects their story and environment

• Provide imagery and video suitable for media, digital and internal use

• Operate across multiple locations and a fixed national timeline

• Deliver quickly, without disrupting the flow of events

The focus was simple: capture the story properly, from start to finish.

Our approach

Each State and Territory event is treated as part of a larger narrative — ensuring a consistent visual approach while adapting to different locations and environments.

In Canberra, the focus shifts to operating within a fast-paced, high-profile program — working closely with organisers, Nicole Browne and the Media Ops team to deliver seamless coverage across multiple events and stakeholders.

Delivery

We photographed each State and Territory announcement across October and November — working across Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth, before culminating in Canberra.

Across these locations, we deployed one to two photographers per event — ensuring consistent coverage while maintaining a nimble, efficient footprint.

The program concluded with four days of events in Canberra, leading into the national announcement on 25 January.

The 2026 national recipients included:

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg (SA) — Australian of the Year

• Professor Henry Brodaty (NSW) — Senior Australian of the Year

• Nedd Brockmann (NSW) — Young Australian of the Year

• Frank Mitchell (WA) — Australia’s Local Hero

Across the full program, Salty Dingo delivered photography and video coverage designed for immediate use across media, digital and ongoing communications.

Services delivered

• Event photography

• Hero imagery

• Nominee portraiture (for National Australia Day Council collateral)

• Event videography

• Showreel production

• Social content edits

• Photography team management

• Production consulting

• Travel coordination

Working within the environment

Events of this scale move quickly.

Multiple locations. Tight schedules. High-profile attendees. No second takes.

Our role is to operate within that environment without adding friction — integrating with organisers and stakeholders, and delivering coverage that is both efficient and unobtrusive.

The outcome

Content was delivered within an hour of each event — enabling immediate national distribution.

Imagery and video were published across Australia through major media outlets including the ABC, alongside distribution via State Governors’ offices and the National Australia Day Council’s digital and social channels.

The result is a consistent body of work that supports the Awards across media, digital platforms and ongoing storytelling — from local announcements through to the national stage.

Why it matters

Projects like this require more than technical execution. They require judgement — understanding when to step forward, and when to step back.

Salty Dingo’s role is to make sure each story is represented clearly, consistently, and with the respect it deserves.