The Australia Post Australian Legends Award is presented annually by Australia Post to honour a living individual or group of individuals who have excelled in a particular field of endeavour. The award recognises outstanding individuals for their part in shaping the social and cultural life of Australia.
The Legends Award criteria recognises Australians who exemplify traits such as tenacity, imagination, perseverance, devotion, integrity and compassion.
In recognition of the honour, each recipient is depicted on a postage stamp and is presented with a 24-carat-gold replica of the stamp on which they appear.
When the inaugural Australian Legends Award was presented to Sir Donald Bradman in 1997, he became the first living Australian to be honoured on an Australian stamp. Prior to that, the only living people featured in their own right on our nation’s postage stamps were members of the royal family.
Recipients of the Australia Post Australian Legends Award:
2023 Australian Legends of Supercars
Allan Moffat OBE
Dick Johnson AM
Mark Skaife OAM
Craig Lowndes OAM
2022 Australian Legends of Filmmaking
Gillian Armstrong AM
Baz Luhrmann
George Miller AO
Warwick Thornton
Peter Weir AM
2021 Australian Legends of Cricket
Allan Border AO
Adam Gilchrist AM
Jason Gillespie
Dennis Lillee AM MBE
Ellyse Perry
Ricky Ponting AO
2020 Australian Legends of Comedy
Adam Hills
Noelene Brown OAM
Magda Szubanski AO
Garry McDonald AO
2019 Australian Legends of Children’s Literature
Mem Fox AM
Morris Gleitzman
Leigh Hobbs
Alison Lester
Shaun Tan
2018 Australian Legends of TV Entertainment
Daryl Somers OAM
Denise Drysdale
Bert Newton AM MBE
Kerri-Anne Kennerley
Ray Martin AM
2017 Australian Legends - Indigenous leaders
Tom Calma AO
Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE
Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM
2016 Australian Legends of Singles Tennis
Pat Cash
Evonne Goolagong Cawley AO MBE
Ashley Cooper AO
Roy Emerson
Neale Fraser AO MBE
John Newcombe AO OBE
Patrick Rafter
Tony Roche AO MBE
Ken Rosewall AM MBE
Frank Sedgman AM
Fred Stolle AO
* Lleyton Hewitt (farewell on retirement).
2015 Australian Legends – The Victoria Cross
Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG
Mark Donaldson VC
Daniel Keighran VC
Keith Payne VC OAM
Cameron Baird VC MG (posthumous Legend)
2014 Australian Legends of Cooking
Margaret Fulton OAM
Maggie Beer AM
Stephanie Alexander AO
Neil Perry AM
Kylie Kwong
2013 Australian Legends of Music
John Farnham AO
Paul Kelly
Kylie Minogue OBE
Olivia Newton-John AO OBE
Cold Chisel
Men at Work
AC/DC
INXS
The Seekers
Ian “Molly” Meldrum AM
2012 Australian Legends of Football
Ron Barassi AM
Gary Ablett
John Raper MBE
Billy Slater
David Campese AM
David Pocock
Joe Marston MBE
Mark Schwarzer OAM
2011 Advocates for women’s equality
Eva Cox AO
Elizabeth Evatt AC
Germaine Greer
Anne Summers PhD AO
2010 Australian Legends of the Written Word
Peter Carey AO
Bryce Courtenay AM
Thomas Keneally AO
David Malouf
Colleen McCullough AO
Tim Winton
2009 Academy Award winners
Cate Blanchett
Russell Crowe
Nicole Kidman AC
Geoffrey Rush AC
2008 Philanthropists
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE
Victor Smorgon AC and Loti Smorgon AO
Lady (Mary) Fairfax AC OBE
Frank Lowy AC
2007 Racing personalities
Roy Higgins MBE
Bart Cummings AM
John Tapp OAM
Scobie Breasley
Bob Ingham AO
George Moore OBE
2006 Entertainer
Barry Humphries AO CBE
2005 Fashion designers
Prue Acton OBE
Jenny Bannister
Collette Dinnigan
Akira Isogawa
Joe Saba
Carla Zampatti AC
2004 Opera singer
Dame Joan Sutherland OM AC DBE
2003 Tennis players
Rod Laver MBE
Margaret Court AO MBE
2002 Medical scientists
Professor Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE
Professor Fiona Stanley AC
Professor Nancy Millis AC MBE
Professor Donald Metcalf AC FRS FAA
Professor Peter Doherty AC
2001 Country musician
Slim Dusty AO MBE
2000 Last ANZACs
Walter Parker
Roy Longmore
Alec Campbell
1999 Artist
Arthur Boyd AC OBE
1998 Olympians
Betty Cuthbert AM MBE
Herb Elliott AC MBE
Dawn Fraser AO MBE
Marjorie Jackson AC CVO MBE
Murray Rose AM
Shirley Strickland AO MBE
1997 Cricketer
Sir Donald Bradman AC
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