Katherine Bennell-Pegg has been named Australian of the Year for 2026.
Eight incredible Australians gathered in Canberra on Sunday night for the award ceremony after being nominated for the prestigious honour.
It was the first astronaut to fly under the Australian flag, Ms Bennell-Pegg, who took the top gong.
Below are the inspiring stories of 2026 Australian of the Year, along with the seven runners-up.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg
The 2026 winner Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the first to qualify as an Australian astronaut under Australia’s own space program.
Ms Bennell-Pegg graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of a class of six trained by the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.
‘Thank you so much for this incredible honour,’ Ms Bennell-Pegg said as she accepted her award on Sunday.
‘I’m meant to be someone that’s calm in extreme circumstances but this is testing every skill that I have because of the deep, deep honour this is.
‘However, this incredible honour isn’t mine alone – it belongs also to all of those that have helped to build Australia’s space sector, to the Australian Space Agency, to all that have educated me and encouraged me.
‘And especially to my family, thank you.’
Ms Bennell-Pegg has been passionate about space since childhood and regularly fosters the same curiosity in today’s children by presenting at schools.
‘As a kid, I used to lie on the dry grass in my backyard and gaze up at the stars in awe,’ she said.
‘That imperative – to look to the sky and wonder, to innovate and explore – is an ancient one on this continent. Australia’s First Nations people’s deep connection to Sky Country reminds us that looking up has always been part of who we are.’
She said space was a ‘powerful draw’ for young people in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), especially girls and women.
‘Because we need people to keep engaged with STEM, so we can have a STEM-literate society, and so that we have people empowered with the knowledge that they can solve big problems, that they can make discoveries that are important,’ she said.
‘For many, many years, I was the only woman in the room. And when you’re young, in particular, and you feel like you don’t fit the stereotype, you often are underestimated, and you underestimate yourself.
‘For that reason, we see so many young women backing out of STEM fields when in fact they have so much to offer, because they bring a unique perspective.’
Ms Bennell-Pegg took a moment to acknowledge her fellow nominees and the victims and heroes of the Bondi terror attack ‘whose courage shone in the darkest moments’.
‘During astronaut training we learned about the overview effect, the cognitive shift that comes from looking back at the Earth from orbit,’ she said.
‘You can’t see borders from up there, just a fragile shared home and a powerful truth: We’re all in this together.’
Born in Sydney, Ms Bennell-Pegg grew up on the city’s northern beaches and studied aeronautical engineering and physics at Sydney University.
She was inspired by Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas – astronauts who grew up in Australia but travelled to space as American citizens in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Ms Bennell-Pegg hopes one day she, too, can be an inspiration for Aussie kids.
‘Speaking with people, especially young people, far and wide across the country this past year, I felt how beyond the flag on my shoulder, I carry the hopes of so many,’ she said.
‘Yet so many Australians are stepping away from STEM before they see what they’re capable of. We are leaving too much talent on the launch pad.
‘For Australia to be able to able to influence and to contribute to addressing the global issues of the next years, the next century, we need every curious mind engaged, regardless of gender, of background or of postcode.
‘…In 2026, as humans venture around the moon once more, I hope that we’ll all look up knowing that there is no aspiration too big for any Australian or for Australia.
‘Whatever our dreams may be, for our communities, ourselves, our country or our world.’
The 41-year-old now calls Adelaide her home, where she volunteers with the West Beach Surf Life Saving club.
In December 2024, she was also appointed as an Air Force reservist.
Ms Bennell-Pegg takes over as Australian of the Year from AFL legend Neale Daniher, who received the honour in 2025, for his work raising well over $100 million for research into motor neurone disease.
CRE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15496031/Australian-Year-2026.html