Ten Years of Honouring Mental Health Leadership:

Nominations Now Open for the 2025 Australian Mental Health Prize.

Despite improvements in mental health, urgent challenges to help those in need still remain. That's the overwhelming sentiment from some of Australia's leading mental health experts.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the highly regarded Australian Mental Health Prize. As nominations open for the 2025 prize, leading mental health advocates reflect on a decade of transformation, and the urgent challenges that remain.

Established by UNSW Sydney, the Prize honours Australians who have made outstanding contributions to mental health across four categories: 

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Lived Experience, Professional, and Community Hero.

“This milestone year is an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come — and where we need to go next,” said Adjunct Professor Sophie Scott, Chair of the Australian Mental Health Prize Advisory Group and award-winning journalist and author.

“It’s a chance to recognise the individuals and community leaders who are making a real difference, often with little fanfare and limited support.”

Over the past decade, the Prize has spotlighted leading clinicians, researchers, advocates, peer workers, educators and community leaders. Many have influenced national mental health policy, shaped new models of care, and driven cultural change within their own communities.

Professor Gordon Parker, 2020 recipient and founder of the Black Dog Institute, said Australia must continue to value rigorous research and independent thinking — particularly as new approaches to treatment emerge.

“There is promising work being done in fields like the gut-brain connection and mood disorders, but we must stay evidence-based and challenge ideas that don’t hold up. We also need to do more to support the next generation of researchers. Without them, innovation stalls.”

Professor Juli Coffin, the 2024 winner, works with Aboriginal young people in regional Western Australia. She said mental and physical health must be treated together — and that relational, culturally grounded care must be properly funded.

“People are realising that wraparound, community-led models work. The challenge is that they’re often overlooked in favour of programs that continue to deliver little impact. We need to shift how success is measured — and who gets to define it.”

Professor Kimberlie Dean, forensic psychiatrist at UNSW Sydney and member of the Prize Advisory Group, said the past decade has seen progress in recognising lived experience and community-led innovation, but significant gaps remain.

“We’ve seen encouraging growth in the peer workforce and online service delivery. Yet the burden of mental ill-health, especially among young people, continues to rise. The system must evolve to better support what we know works — and do so at scale.”

As part of this milestone year, past winners are also sharing their advice to the next generation of changemakers — from championing lived experience and challenging broken systems, to leading with courage, kindness and conviction.

“Have the courage to not know and let the people most affected provide the answers you don’t have,” said Dr Louise Byrne, 2024 recipient and Director of Lived Experience Training. “That’s how we build a system that actually works — by listening deeply, challenging old assumptions, and backing real-world knowledge.”

“Be kind to the marginalised, and lead with love, truth and conviction,” said Megan Krakouer, 2023 recipient and Director of the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project. “Real change starts with honesty, integrity and heart.”

Professor Attila Brungs, UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President, said the Prize reflects the university’s commitment to fostering long-term, evidence-based impact through trusted partnerships.

“For a decade, the Australian Mental Health Prize has helped shine a light on those advancing mental health outcomes in communities across Australia,” Professor Brungs said. “We remain dedicated to critical societal conversations about mental health and driving collective impact in this space.”

Nominations for the 2025 Australian Mental Health Prize are now open and close on July 23, 2025. 

Further reflections from past winners and Advisory Group members are available here. Discover what they believe has changed — and what must come next.

 

More information visit: www.australianmentalhealthprize.org.au

 

Media enquiries:

Fleur Townley | Lanham Media

0405 278 758 | [email protected]

 

Spokespeople available for interview:

 

Advisory Committee:

• Sophie Scott OAM – Chair; award-winning journalist and author
• UNSW Professor Kimberlie Dean – Forensic psychiatrist; member, Australian Mental Health Prize Advisory Group
• UNSW Professor Valsamma Eapen – Child psychiatrist; member, Australian Mental Health Prize Advisory Group
• UNSW Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO – Professor of Ageing and Mental Health; member, Australian Mental Health Prize Advisory Group

 

Past Winners on request including:

• Dr Louise Byrne (QLD), 2024 Prize recipient – Director of Lived Experience Training (.org); Senior Research Fellow, RMIT University
• Professor Michael Berk (VIC), 2024 Prize recipient – Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Deakin University; Director, IMPACT Institute
• Professor Juli Coffin (WA), 2024 Prize recipient – Aboriginal researcher and youth mental health leader
• Megan Krakouer (WA), 2023 Prize recipient – Director, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project
• Gary Thorpe OAM (QLD), 2022 Prize recipient – General Manager, Silver Memories
• Professor Gordon Parker (NSW), 2020 Prize recipient – Founder, Black Dog Institute; Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney

 

Background:

 

The Australian Mental Health Prize was established in 2016 by UNSW Sydney to recognise Australians who have made outstanding contributions to promoting mental health or preventing/treating mental illness.

 

Mental illnesses are common and highly disabling. In any given year, one in five adult Australians and one in seven children aged 4 to 17 will experience some form of mental illness. One in three Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Mental illness significantly impacts a person's ability to work, earn a living, and maintain close relationships.

 

Recent statistics highlight the scale and impact of mental health challenges in Australia:

• Youth Mental Health: A quarter of Australians aged 16-24 are experiencing a mental illness at any given time. Many people first experience symptoms during adolescence.
• Suicide Rates: More than 3,000 Australians die by suicide each year, with men being at greatest risk but least likely to seek help.
• Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety: Around one million Australian adults experience depression, and over two million suffer from anxiety each year. Depression ranks as the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia.
• Impact on Vulnerable Communities: Indigenous Australians experience significantly higher rates of psychological distress compared to the general population and have lower access to mental health services. LGBTIQA+ individuals also face very high rates of depression and psychological distress and are the most at-risk group in Australia for suicide.
• Impact on Women: Women are more likely to experience depression and anxiety during pregnancy and in the year following childbirth.
• Chronic Mental Health Conditions: According to the 2021 Australian Census, mental health issues have now surpassed all other chronic illnesses, with over 2.2 million Australians reporting a diagnosed mental illness.
• Economic Impact: The cost of mental illness and suicide to Australia is estimated to be around $220 billion annually, as reported by the Productivity Commission.

 

Why establish the Australian Mental Health Prize?

 

Australia has led the way internationally in many aspects of mental health such as community awareness, public advocacy and innovative services. This includes innovative programs such as beyondblue, a mental health and wellbeing support organisation, and headspace, the national network of youth mental health services. Our open public discourse involving politicians and high-profile individuals occurs in few other countries.

 

The Australian Mental Health Prize:

• Acknowledges and recognises the important and ground-breaking work that many Australians are doing for mental health
• Raises public awareness on the importance of mental health and
• Provides an incentive to improve services and outcomes for people with mental illness.

 

What are the criteria for the Australian Mental Health Prize?

 

The Prize is awarded annually to Australians who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of mental health or the prevention or treatment of mental illness – in areas such as advocacy, research or service provision.

 

Who is involved with the Prize?

 

The Prize has been established by a group of eminent Australians in partnership with UNSW. Chaired by Sophie Scott, the Prize Advisory Group comprises: Melinda Upton, Jeremy Coggin, Associate Professor Mat Coleman, Carmel Crouch AM, UNSW Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO, UNSW Professor Kimberlie Dean, UNSW Scientia Professor Philip Mitchell AM, UNSW Professor Valsamma Eapen and UNSW Professor Maree Toombs.

Contact details:

Fleur Townley | Lanham Media

0405 278 758 | [email protected]