In conversation with the 2024 Young Australian of the Year - Emma McKeon AM, Olympian

In Conversation with the 2024 Young Australian of the Year - Emma McKeon AM, Olympian

The Australian National University, in partnership with the National Australia Day Committee, brings you an opportunity to meet and hear from winner of the Young Australian of the Year.

The Australian National University is the proud cultural sponsor of the Australian of the Year (AoTY) Awards. The physical trophy is designed and produced by the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) School of Art and Design, before being presented to the state, territory, and national winners.

The awards were first designed and made in 2017 at the ANU Glass Workshop for the 2018 AoTY ceremony and CASS have been producing the trophies ever since.

Emma will be in conversation with an ANU alum.

Emma McKeon AM, Winner of Young Australian of the Year 2024, and Australia’s most decorated Olympian will be the guest speaker for the inaugural event.

With 11 Olympic Games Medals and 20 Commonwealth Games Medals to her name, Emma McKeon is not only the greatest Australian swimmer of all time, but Australia’s most decorated Olympian, and one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.

She comes from a strong family of Australian swimmers. In fact, her father, uncle, brother and mother have all represented Australia.

Back in 2012, Emma just missed out on being chosen for the London Olympics. She took a break, but rediscovered her passion and went on to make a splash at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she claimed six medals from six races.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Emma became the first female swimmer and the second woman in history to win seven medals in a single Olympics. She has also broken Commonwealth Games, Olympic and World records.

Emma has other titles to her name. In 2022 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia, and in 2023 she was named Gold Coast Young Australian of the Year.

Emma will be available to sign some postcards for her fans and provide a photo opportunity. 

The Australian of the Year state exhibition is also on display in the Research School of Social Science (RSSS) foyer, which allows the audience to understand the different awards and winners for each state and territory. The exhibition is currently on display till 26 September 2024.