The Italian of the Year Award
Date: Saturday, 31st October 2026
Location: Amora Hotels & Resorts (Formerly Hilton), Victoria Square, Adelaide
Background
The South Australian Italian Association (SAIA) biennial award aims to promote and perpetuate the Italian-South Australian heritage and to acknowledge the importance of Italian immigrants towards the construction of the fascinating multicultural Australian mosaic.
The SAIA awards have been established with the scope of recognizing and celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of individuals or organisations who have distinguished themselves in our community and in the community at large.
Categories
0n Saturday 31st October 2026, SAIA will host the SAIA Awards 2026, which intends to honour Italians or Italian organisations who operate in the following six sectors:
- Community Contribution Award for individual contributions that strengthen communities and foster pride, connection, and collective impact.
- Culture and Art Award which includes education, music, language, sport, cuisine, and wine.
- Research & Development, and Innovation Award which includes education, research, start-ups, innovative entrepreneurs.
- Small Business Award which includes Primary Sector, Secondary Sector, Tertiary Sector.
- Large Business Award which includes Primary Sector, Secondary Sector, Tertiary Sector.
- Young Achiever Award which includes young people who have achieved excellence in their field of work or study, achieved a noteworthy personal accomplishment or have developed a creative or innovative project/initiative.
Procedure
Currently, every two years, SAIA inducts particularly deserving nominee or nominees from the Italo-Australian Community in South Australia to help us give due recognition to those individuals or organisations whose achievements deserve to be celebrated. The community will be asked to Submit a nomination using the ‘Nomination Form with Rules and Regulations’ which we will publish on SAIA Website. The nomination proposals will be assessed by an independent Awards Committee and the six awards will be announced at the Gala Night on Saturday 31st October 2026 at the Amora Hotels & Resorts (Formerly Hilton), an event organized for this purpose. The SAIA board committee intends to celebrate the SAIA Award during the Italian Festival in Adelaide. This cooperation will be useful to establish synergy among the Italian Initiatives.
SAIA Awards Nomination Forms 2026
Nominate Someone for an Award
Behind every success story is someone who went above and beyond. Nominate an individual who has made a meaningful difference and help us celebrate the people raising the standard for all of us.
Enter the SAIA Award
Have you made a meaningful impact through your work or leadership? This is your opportunity to share your story, highlight your accomplishments, and be considered for an award you’ve earned.
Applications Close 11th September 2026.
SAIA Awards News & Updates
