The Global Australian Award finalists including Australians living and working overseas; Australians who have built their career overseas in the past; and international alumni of Australian universities. The Global Australian Awards showcase the achievements of these inspiring global Australians who are innovating in their field and shaping the world. Read more about our past awards here.

Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents, or alumni of an Australian university who are non-Australian citizens or residents. Nominees must have lived overseas at some point in their career and must be active within their industry. The eligibility criteria for all Global Australian Awards (except the Alumni category and Australian Global Talent category (see FAQs )) are:

1. Individuals may nominate themselves and others
2. Nominees must be Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents
3. Nominees must be living overseas currently, or have built their career overseas previously and returned within the year prior to nomination 
4. Awards will not be granted posthumously
5. Nominees must be working and/or active within their industry (i.e. not in initial studies or fully retired)
6. A nominee may be considered for more than one category
7. Unsuccessful nominees may re-nominate in subsequent years
8. Award winners cannot receive a second award in the same award category. They can be considered for recognition in a separate category in following years
9. Groups of people or couples will normally not be eligible, though in exceptional cases the selection panel reserves the right to consider such nominations
10. The selection panel reserves the right to move nominees across categories
11. Current members of Advance staff, Advance Ambassadors, Advance Board of Directors, and Advance Asia Advisory Council are not eligible
12. All category winners will be considered for the overall Advance Award
13. No weight is given to multiple submissions for the same nominee

The eligibility criteria for the Alumni category are:

1. Individuals may nominate themselves or others
2. Nominees must be alumni of an Australian university, and a non-Australian citizen or resident
3. Nominees must live outside of Australia at least half of the year
4. Awards will not be granted posthumously
5. Unsuccessful nominees may re-nominate in subsequent years
6. Groups of people or couples will normally not be eligible, though in exceptional cases the selection panel reserves the right to consider such nominations
7. Current members of Advance staff, Advance Ambassadors, Advance Board of Directors, and Advance Asia Advisory Council are not eligible
8. No weight is given to multiple submissions for the same nominee

Yes, individuals may nominate themselves and others.

For all awards except the “Alumni” and “Australian Global Talent” categories, preference is given to individuals currently living overseas, or who have returned to Australia within a year of nomination. Individuals who work in Australia for an international employer and travel extensively will be considered. Alumni category nominees must be based outside Australia. Australian Global Talent category nominees must be based in Australia.

Yes. However, your time overseas needs to be transformative to your career. On average, awards recipients have spent at least 5 years overseas, which has shaped their career and success.

Yes! In fact, many Award winners come from nominations submitted in prior years. The Awards are highly competitive, and each year many talented individuals with impressive achievements do not progress to the final round. We encourage past nominees to re-nominate and update us on their latest accomplishments. Advance may also contact you for permission to re-nominate you for a future year. 

Anyone. If you know of an outstanding Aussie who has built their career globally, don’t miss the opportunity to nominate them now.

The judges for the Global Australian Awards are eminent Australians. Chaired by Advance Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Ken Allen AO, the judges are chosen for their expertise, integrity, and standing in Australia and around the world. You can learn all about them here

Candidates are judged on their demonstrated leadership, vision, impact, and innovation in their field. Award nominees are evaluated against the following criteria:

1. Demonstrated excellence in their field globally
2. Demonstrated innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship 
3. Extent to which impact has been achieved by conceiving and performing work in new and creative ways
4. Demonstrated significant impact or contribution in their relevant fields
5. Demonstrated capacity to inspire the next generation global Australian leaders

Judges also give consideration to the nominee’s: 

• Extent and nature of global experience 
• Contribution to Australian and global communities
• Voluntary work beyond paid employment
• Capacity for their work to contribute to a more socially and economically inclusive Australia
• Commitment to promote Advance and the Awards in the years following their award
• Commitment to contribute to the mentoring of next generation Australian leaders
• Ongoing contribution in their field

Groups of people or couples will normally not be eligible, though in exceptional cases the selection panel reserves the right to consider such nominations. 

Each year, we receive a large number of nominations and select winners for 10-13 categories. We have noted fluctuations in the number of nominations for different categories each year, and careers are increasingly interdisciplinary, making some extraordinary candidates appear less competitive compared to candidates that have worked in one industry. Also, categories and category names evolve over time to reflect Australia’s industry priorities. Nominations are allocated into industry/sector categories mid-way through the selection process to reduce any early bias. Some nominees may be allocated to more than one category if their career has spanned multiple sectors.

The Global Australian Award winners are global Australians and alumni of Australian universities who exhibit remarkable talent, exceptional vision and ambition, our Game Changers. You can learn more about them here

Winners and finalists for all Advance award categories receive promotion, publicity and recognition in a globally broadcast event. They also join the exclusive cohort of “GameChangers”. Award winners receive a physical trophy, and are considered for the overall “Global Australian of the Year” award. There is no financial prize associated with each award.

Yes, at the start of 2022 the Advance Awards had a name change. They are now know as The Global Australian Awards, Hosted by Advance.org.