Nominate

Recognise an act of bravery

If you know someone who risked their own safety to save another person's life, you can nominate them. Nominations can be made by anyone. You do not need to have been there, and you do not need to be related to the person involved.

Award process

From nomination to investiture

Step 1
Submit the Nomination

Our Awards Sub-Committee review every nomination and assign it to 2 Directors according to their subject matter expertise.

Step 2
Assessment

The Directors meet monthly to vote on the recommendations. The Society's directors review each nomination against the criteria for each award.

Step 3
Award & Investiture

Successful nominees are awarded a medal or certificate and invited to an investiture ceremony. Investiture ceremonies are normally held annually at Government House in the relevant State.  On occasion they may be held at a Capital Town Hall or a community venue.

Before you start

Who can be nominated?

Anyone who risked their own life to save, or attempt to save, the life of another person in Australia, outside New South Wales.

If the act happened in New South Wales

New South Wales has its own Society, and nominations for acts there are made through them, not through us.

Nominate via RHSA of NSW ›

What you will need

Your contact details. The nominee's name and contact details, if known. The date and place of the act. A written account of what happened. Any supporting documents.

What counts as bravery

Our awards are graded by the degree of risk the rescuer accepted, from a limited degree of risk up to conspicuous bravery. For more information on the degrees of risk, head to our Awards page.

FAQ

Common questions

  • Anyone who risked their own life to save, or attempt to save, the life of another person in Australia. If the act took place in New South Wales, nominate through the Royal Humane Society of NSW instead, as they run their own awards.

  • Award nominations are normally only accepted within a maximum of 10 years of the incident and will only be formally assessed after all official investigations, judicial or coronial inquiries have concluded.

    In exceptional circumstances and where the case is compelling the RHSA Board may consider nominations outside these timeframes.

  • Anything that helps establish what happened and the risk involved. Witness statements, official reports from police, ambulance or fire services, contemporaneous news coverage, and photographs are all useful. If you do not have documents, a detailed written account is still worth submitting.

  • Yes.  Those who lose their lives going to the rescue of others are considered for a Posthumous Medal.

  • Yes – if you believe they meet the criteria.  Any nomination for a police officer, paramedic, firefighter or SES or lifesaving volunteer is considered in conjunction with their Honours & Awards recognition team.

  • The Secretary will do an initial review of the nomination to ensure it has enough information to proceed to the Awards Sub-Committee.  The Sub-Committee meets monthly and reviews all nominations, assigning them to two Directors, according to their subject matter expertise.  The two Directors independently review the nomination and reach a recommendation. 

    They then come together to review and agree on a recommendation that is submitted to the full RHSA Board, who meet monthly.  The Board will discuss the case and may choose to change the level of award recommended.  Once a final decision is made the Secretary will contact the person nominated and the nominator regarding the outcome.

The Royal Humane Society of Australasia seeks to honour and recognise people who through their selfless acts of courage and bravery, have risked their own life in an attempt to save the lives of others.

Important information regarding your nomination

  • There must be more than one person nominating or supporting a nomination for it to proceed. 

  • Please ensure you fill in as much detail as possible to assist with the assessment.

  • Contact details (where known) are required for the person being nominated.  This enables RHSA to advise the outcome of the nomination (if successful) and for Investiture purposes.

Nominate now

Award Nomination Form

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