Celebrating Victoria
The Victoria Day Council is an independent, non-political organisation maintained by public subscription. All committee members are volunteers and membership is open to all Victorians.
We have three aims:
- To celebrate Victoria Day (1st July)
- To support and encourage Victorians in all fields including public life, community, commerce, the arts and sport.
- To support Victorian charities.
The Victoria Day Awards recognise the outstanding contribution that Victorians and Victorian organisations have made to our state.
The Awards are made by public nomination.
These nominations can be made by any Victorian; the Victoria Day Council also writes to all members of the Victorian Parliament and each local council seeking nominations from within their electorates. We also ask for nominations from Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) for the good corporate citizen award.
The council compiles a short list of nominees which is then discussed and voted upon by the Trustees of the Victoria Day Council, who are themselves past award winners. A list of former Award winners is available here.
Discussion of nominees is robust and rarely unanimous, but the final selection is made by majority vote of the Trustees. The Victoria Day Council has no part in the discussion or selection of the Award Winners.
The 2023 La Trobe Lecture
The lecturer this year is Mr Kevin Sheedy A.O Victorian of the Year 2022
Kevin John Sheedy AO is a former Australian rules football coach and player.
He played with Richmond and coached Essendon in a combined total of 929 games over 47 years from 1967 until 2013, which is a VFL/AFL record. Between 1967 and 1979 Kevin played 251 games at Richmond Football Club, where he played in Premiership teams in 1969, 1973 and 1974.During his time at Essendon, they competed in 19 final series and won premierships in 1984, 85, 93 and 2000.
Sheedy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and on 29 May 2018 was elevated to legend status.
He was awarded an Advance Australia Award and in 1998 he was admitted as a Member of the Order of Australia.
He has Honorary Doctorates from the Australian Catholic University and the University of Western Sydney.
The 2024 Victoria Day Awards
Nominations for the 2024 Victoria Day Awards are now open.
Download the nomination form or complete the form online.
The Victoria Day Council acknowledges the Traditional Owners of land wherever we meet. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present and commit ourselves to reconciliation between all people in the State of Victoria, and in the Commonwealth of Australia.