History-makers named 2026 VIS Award of Excellence finalists

Olympic medallists, world champions and a Commonwealth Games champion are amongst the finalists named for the 2026 VIS Award of Excellence. On Tuesday 17 November, one will join the prestigious list of athletes to receive the highest honour from the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) night of nights. 

The Award of Excellence (AOE) recognises athletes who have achieved results at major events while also contributing to the development or promotion of their sport. This year’s five finalists each bring their own story to the VIS honour roll, from Olympic podiums in Milano Cortina to world titles in Geneva and Ottawa, and a comeback in Glasgow. 

He was joined on the Olympic podium by aerial skier Danielle Scott OLY. Before Milano Cortina, her best Olympic result was ninth. In the first final she scored a personal best of 117.19, the highest of the round, and went on to win silver. She is Australia’s fourth Olympic aerial skiing medallist, 24 years after VIS alumna and Milano Cortina’s Chef de Mission Alisa Camplin AC won gold in Salt Lake City 2002. 

VIS winter athletes also delivered on the ice. Dean Hewitt OLY alongside Tahli Gill OLY (QAS) won Australia’s first gold medal at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Geneva, with Hewitt sharing the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. 

At this year’s World Championships in Ottawa, Paris Paralympian Jaylen Brown PLY scored 37 points in an overtime semi-final win over Germany and 28 in the 81–57 final against Italy. The unbeaten Rollers won Australia’s first wheelchair basketball world title since 2014 with Brown taking home MVP of the tournament. 

Sam Williamson OLY was the reigning world champion in the 50m breaststroke when he ruptured the tendon in his left knee during a gym warm-up in 2025.

Working with the VIS team, Williamson made his comeback at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in July, where he won the 100m breaststroke ahead of England’s Adam Peaty, the world record holder. He then claimed gold in the 50m breaststroke, marking his first individual Commonwealth Games titles. 

Brown has also been named a finalist for the Para Athlete Award and The Carbine Club Rising Star Award, while Hewitt is a finalist for the Sarah Tait Spirit Award. 

• Jaylen Brown (Wheelchair basketball) 

• Dean Hewitt (Curling) 

• Scotty James (Snowboarding) 

• Danielle Scott (Aerial skiing) 

• Sam Williamson (Swimming) 

Previous winners include Cathy Freeman, Dylan Alcott AO PLY, Mack Horton OAM OLY and Grace Brown OAM OLY. 

Each of this year’s finalists is part of a VIS program building towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA 2028), the French Alps 2030 Winter Games and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Brisbane 2032). 

“From a highly competitive field of nominees, this year’s finalists embody the VIS vision: athletes thriving on the big stage and inspiring Victorians,” said VIS CEO, Nicole Livingstone AO. 

“Their dedication shows in their ability to perform consistently among the world’s best, lifting Australian sport and making our state proud.” 

The 2026 VIS Award of Excellence will take place at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday 17 November, honouring the national and international achievements of VIS athletes and the way they strive to win well in sport and in life. 

The night will be hosted by Sarah Jones, a TV host with more than two decades’ experience and the first woman to host an AFL match and an AFL final on television. 

Alongside the Award of Excellence, the evening includes The Carbine Club Rising Star Award, 2XU Performance Lifestyle Award, Para Athlete Award, Sarah Tait Spirit Award and the Frank Pyke Achievement Award.  

The finalists are: 

• Gabriella Blewitt (Taekwondo) 

• Jaylen Brown (Wheelchair basketball) 

• Claudia Hollingsworth (Athletics) 

• Josh Jolly (Cycling – BMX) 

• Rhydian Cowley (Athletics – Race walking) 

• Caitlin Parker (Boxing) 

• Col Pearse (Para swimming) 

• Jaylen Brown (Wheelchair basketball) 

• Tahlia Clayton-Goodie (Para cycling) 

• Tara Neyland (Para cycling) 

• Brooke Buschkuehl (Athletics – Long jump) 

• Sarah Gigante (Cycling) 

• Dean Hewitt (Curling)