Celebrating NSW’s Rainbow Community Heroes At Honour 2026
Image: All photos: Mark Dickson
Over 450 people gathered to celebrate the leadership, achievements and service of NSW’s unsung rainbow community heroes at ACON’s 2026 Honour Awards.
Held on Thursday 8 October at Sydney’s Paddington Town Hall, over 450 people attended the award ceremony, which was hosted by Reuben Kaye and featured performances by Casey Donovan and Samantha Jade.
Thirty-five finalists and award recipients were recognised for their service, achievements and leadership that have made significant and lasting change to the lives of LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV.
“It was an incredible evening to celebrate the people and groups who show up for our community every single day,” said ACON CEO Michael Woodhouse. “From the quiet, behind the scenes work to the bold and visible, each of them is making a real difference to the lives of LGBTQ+ people. We are so proud to honour the contributions that make our community special.
“Strong communities and social connections are the bedrock of good health. By coming together, we can continue to make progress on the challenges facing our communities today. We can find ways to support regional pride organisations to operate across NSW, secure access to gender affirming care and build an effective response to suicide in our communities.”
Presented by ACON, the Honour Awards is the premier LGBTQIA+ community awards celebration in NSW, recognising outstanding service, achievements and excellence within rainbow communities since 2007.
“ACON extends its sincere thanks to all the partners and supporters whose generosity made this year’s Honour Awards possible,” Woodhouse said.
“We acknowledge the support of our wonderful community partners Sydney Mardi Gras, Equality Australia, Pride Business Association, Rainbow Giving Australia, Twenty10, Positive Life NSW and the Friends of Cayte. And we thank our amazing event partners dplr, OUT@NBCUniversal, Adge Hotel, Universal Hotels, DBMedia and our media partner Star Observer.”
Woodhouse also thanked all who attended and many who support the event. “Honour is as much about bringing people together as it is about recognition. The event was a great example of that, and we thank every guest who joined us.
“A huge congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and award recipients, and to everyone who helped make Honour 2026 such a success. Until next year,” Woodhouse said.
ACON PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Presented by ACON
Dykes on Bikes Sydney
COMMUNITY HERO
Presented by ACON
Katie Green
VOLUNTEER HERO
Presented by ACON
William Weller
ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA
Presented by OUT@NBCUniversal
Kat Dopper
HIV HERO
Presented by Positive Life NSW
HIV/AIDS Legal Centre
CAYTE LATTA MEMORIAL AWARD
FOR VISUAL ARTS
Presented by Friends of Cayte
Todd Fuller
COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
Presented by Universal Hotels
The Gender Centre
YOUNG ACHIEVER
Presented by ACON
Barbi Ghanoush
HEALTH & WELLBEING
Presented by ACON
Paula Corvalan
BUSINESS
Presented by Pride Business Association
PlanetDwellers
Bernie’s Bar
Star Observer is the proud media partner of Honour 2026.
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