Alumni awards

Each year Deakin's Alumni Awards recognise, acknowledge and promote prominent alumni around the world who have achieved outstanding success in their communities, professions or given exceptional service to the University.

2023 Deakin University Alumni Awards

Our recipients, selected by the Vice-Chancellor, demonstrate excellence in their chosen field and make valuable contributions to the University and their communities, both locally and globally. Deakin President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin, announced the recipients of the 2023 Deakin Alumni Awards on 23 March 2023. You can watch the announcement, see the recipients’ inspiring videos and leave a message of congratulations on the Alumni Awards website.

Alumni of the Year Award winners

Serdar Baycan
Bachelor of Architecture, 1986
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment

Dr David Newman
Master of Business Administration, 2013
Faculty of Business and Law

Roianne West

Bachelor of Nursing from Deakin’s Institute of Koorie Education (now NIKERI), 2001
Faculty of Health

Daniel Wordsworth
Master of International and Community Development, 2001
Faculty of Arts and Education

Young Alumni of the Year Award winners

Abrar Aziz
Bachelor of Electrics and Electronics Engineering, 2017
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment

Eva Mackinley
Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Diploma of Arabic
Faculty of Arts and Education

Sophie McNamara 
Master of Business Administration, 2019
Faculty of Business and Law

2024 Alumni Awards key dates

We are delighted to invite you to nominate a Deakin graduate or to self-nominate for the 2024 Deakin Alumni Awards in either of the two categories: Alumni of the Year (over 40 years of age) and Young Alumni of the Year (under 40 years of age at the time of nomination).

  • Nominations close – Friday 2 June 2023
  • Judging and selection of candidates – June 2023
  • Winners notified – July 2023

Submit a nomination for the 2024 Alumni Awards

Nominate a Deakin graduate or self-nominate for the 2024 Deakin Alumni Awards. Make sure to complete the form by Friday 2 June 2023 to be in the running. 

2024 Alumni Awards selection criteria

Nominees are judged on their demonstrated achievements both in their professional and personal lives. Nominees are evaluated against the following criteria:

Professional achievements

  • strives for excellence in all aspects of work with significant achievements throughout their career
  • conducts business with the highest standards of professional behaviour and integrity
  • innovative and entrepreneurial, solving problems with creativity and flexibility.

Community-minded achievements

  • dedication of significant personal and/or professional time for community support activities
  • engaging in or enabling (personal) philanthropy
  • supports a vision of our shared future, integrating economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability
  • demonstrates mentorship.

Inspirational leadership

  • recognised as a leader in their field or across multiple industries
  • makes bold decisions, demonstrates courage and ambition
  • encourages diversity by embracing differences and nurturing a connected, safe and respectful community.

Please note: when you submit your nomination, each of the above criteria has a minimum character count of 600 characters and a maximum of 700 characters. To find out more about the nomination and selection process, you can download the Alumni Awards FAQs (PDF, 131KB).

Submit your 2024 Alumni Awards nomination

Alumni awards videos

Our Alumni Award Winners YouTube playlist includes video interviews with our alumni, previous years dinners, speeches and more.

Explore the videos

Connect with us

Stay in touch with us to hear about the latest alumni opportunities, Deakin news and research and much more. You can email the Alumni Engagement team or connect with us on LinkedIn or Facebook.