Community advocates, artists, volunteers and organisations gathered in Sydney for the ACON Honour Awards 2026, celebrating the people making LGBTQ+ lives safer, stronger and more connected across New South Wales.

Essential Takeaways

  • A major community celebration: The awards recognise outstanding service, advocacy and achievement across NSW’s rainbow communities.
  • Broad recognition: Winners include legal leaders, regional volunteers, artists, health workers, businesses and long-standing organisations.
  • Regional voices matter: Tamworth Pride and Bernie’s Bar Newcastle were recognised for strengthening LGBTQ+ visibility and connection outside Sydney.
  • Legacy meets fresh energy: The list brings together established advocates and emerging figures, including Young Achiever winner Barbi Ghanoush.
  • A focus on practical change: Several winners work directly in legal support, healthcare, crisis services and safer community spaces.

ACON Honour Awards 2026 put community work centre stage

Some awards ceremonies glitter for a night and disappear by morning. The ACON Honour Awards 2026 feel different. Held at Paddington Town Hall in Sydney, the gala placed the everyday work of LGBTQ+ advocates, volunteers and service providers firmly in the spotlight.

According to The Star Observer, the annual event has recognised excellence across New South Wales since 2007. Its importance lies not only in the trophies, but in the range of work being acknowledged, from legal reform and HIV support to performance, regional organising and inclusive travel.

That breadth gives the ceremony its particular warmth. There isn't just one way to serve a community, and this year's winners make that point vividly.

The winners reflect a community built on action

Katie Green received the Community Hero award for her leadership at Inner City Legal Centre, where she has helped advance equality and strengthen LGBTQIA+ services across NSW. The Gender Centre was named Community Organisation after four decades of advocacy, support and crisis services for transgender and gender diverse people.

In the HIV Hero category, the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre was recognised for providing free specialist legal assistance to people living with HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne viruses. This is the kind of work that may happen away from the cameras, but its impact can be immediate and deeply personal.

ACON's wider events programme shows how its public-facing work extends beyond a single gala, connecting recognition with ongoing community engagement. That matters because awards are most meaningful when they point people towards support, participation and action.

Regional NSW takes its place in the spotlight

William Weller won Volunteer Hero for his contribution to Tamworth Pride and for helping build LGBTQ+ connection and visibility in regional NSW. Meanwhile, Bernie's Bar Newcastle shared the Business Award with PlanetDwellers, recognised for creating a welcoming social hub for the LGBTQ+ community.

The regional focus is especially significant. Community life outside Sydney can be more dispersed, which means a pride group, venue or committed volunteer may become a vital meeting point. A friendly bar or local event isn't merely social; it can offer belonging, information and a place to be seen.

Australian Pride Network's coverage of the finalist programme also underlined the breadth of service represented by the awards. The message is clear: community leadership doesn't need a city skyline behind it.

Artists and performers keep queer stories visible

The arts categories brought another kind of energy. Kat Dopper won Arts, Entertainment and Media for creating cultural spaces and festivals celebrating LGBTQ+ people across Australia, while Todd Fuller received the Cayte Latta Memorial Award for Visual Arts.

Fuller's practice explores queer histories, places and experiences through drawing, animation and performance. That work gives shape to stories that can otherwise be overlooked, especially when personal memory, public history and identity collide.

Young Achiever winner Barbi Ghanoush was recognised for elevating queer and marginalised voices through performance, leadership and fundraising. Together, these winners show how culture can do more than entertain. It can preserve memory, challenge assumptions and give people language for experiences they may have struggled to express.

What this year's awards say about LGBTQ+ advocacy

The ACON Honour Awards 2026 also reveal how broad LGBTQ+ advocacy has become. It includes courtroom reform, disability support, regional organising, safer travel, nightlife, visual art and public celebration.

Paula Corvalan received the Health and Wellbeing award for developing SAGE, which provides counselling and case management for LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities. PlanetDwellers, meanwhile, was recognised for more than two decades of work helping make travel safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ communities.

Dykes on Bikes Sydney received ACON's President's Award for almost 40 years of leadership around safety, visibility, solidarity and community culture. The combination of long service and new voices makes the list feel less like a roll call and more like a snapshot of a living movement.

A night of recognition with a longer reach

ACON CEO Michael Woodhouse described the evening as a celebration of both visible achievements and quieter, behind-the-scenes contributions, according to The Star Observer. That distinction gets to the heart of the awards: much of the work that keeps communities healthy isn't especially glamorous, but it is dependable.

The 2026 winners also offer a useful reminder that support can take many forms. It might be legal advice, a counselling service, a regional pride event, an artwork, a safe night out or simply a person who keeps showing up.

For anyone looking to get involved, the most practical starting point is often local: attend a community event, support an LGBTQIA+-owned business, volunteer your skills or share information about specialist services. Small actions rarely make the headlines, but they're often how lasting change gets built.

The ACON Honour Awards 2026 celebrate the people turning solidarity into something real.

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