Humanists Australia is proud to announce the 2025 Humanist Award Winners:

Australian Humanist of the Year: AJ Williams-Tchen

Australian Humanist of the Year is awarded annually to an Australian who has made an outstanding contribution to public life, consistent with Humanist principles and values.

This year the winner is AJ Williams-Tchen, in recognition of his tireless efforts training people in Mental Health First Aid for First Nations communities, and promoting understanding and reconciliation between First Nations peoples and other members of the community.

AJ Williams-Tchen is a proud Aboriginal man of Wiradjuri and Wotjobulak backgrounds. He has dedicated over 30 years to advancing mental health and reconciliation between First Nations Australians and the broader community. Drawing on diverse qualifications and deep cultural knowledge, he founded Girraway Ganyi Consultancy to build cultural safety and mental health literacy across Australia. His practical, inclusive approach bridges communities through education, conversation, and mutual respect, working with organisations nationwide to foster understanding and systemic change. Recognised through numerous awards, AJ's work acknowledges the intrinsic link between cultural identity and wellbeing, offering a powerful model of healing grounded in both tradition and professional care.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Meg Wallace

The Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to an Australian who over their lifetime has made an outstanding contribution to public life, consistent with Humanist principles and values, and who passed away in the 12 months prior to the close of award nominations in that year.

This year we recognise the life and work of Meg Wallace, in recognition of her thought leadership and activism that profoundly impacted the humanist and secular communities in Australia and beyond.

Meg Wallace, author of Freedom From Religion: Rethinking Article 18, has been a leading voice in advocating for secular governance and human rights. A former law lecturer, she combined legal expertise with activism to argue for both freedom of and freedom from religion. As president of the Secular Association of NSW and a committee member of the National Secular Lobby, she championed the separation of church and state, influencing public policy and debate through her scholarship on secular education and religious freedom. Her Lifetime Achievement Award recognises a career of intellectual rigour, advocacy, and enduring contributions to the secular and humanist movements.