The awards are presented annually each October as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival.
Senior of the Year Awards nominees must be an Australian citizen, a resident of Victoria and aged 60 years or over. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians aged 50 years or over are eligible for nomination.
Nominees are assessed on their volunteer contribution and achievements since reaching the qualifying age.
Award categories
The categories are:
- Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year for an outstanding contribution by an individual to their local community and Victoria.
- Promotion of Multiculturalism Award to an individual for a significant contribution to promoting the benefits of cultural diversity in their local community or in the broader community.
- Healthy and Active Living Award to an individual for helping to create active and healthy communities through community involvement and as a role model.
- Veteran Community Award to an individual for an exceptional contribution to the veteran community. The recipient of the award does not need to be a veteran.
- Ageing Well Award to an individual who has worked to combat ageism, promote social justice and engaged with their community to support ageing well initiatives.
- Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria Senior Achiever Awards to up to 10 individuals for significant contributions to local communities and Victoria.
Find out more about these awards, including how to nominate, on the Seniors Online website.
Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year awardee Andrew Suggett from Warrnambool was presented with the award by Minister Ingrid Stitt and Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC in October 2023.