Extraordinary Australian women have been recognised for their contributions to advocacy, entertainment, sport and the creative industries at the 2025 Marie Claire Women of the Year awards.
The awards honour women across 11 categories, including changemaker, advocate, eco-warrior, entertainer, creative, designer, rising star, powerhouse, icon and more.
NSW mother and lawyer Emma Mason was named changemaker of the year for her work pushing for safer online environments for children. Her advocacy began after her 15-year-old daughter Tilly died by suicide in 2022 following ongoing cyberbullying.
Since then, she has fought for stronger protections, including restrictions on social media access for under-16s. Australia’s new child-safety laws for social media will come into effect on December 10.
Her efforts have reached the world stage. In September, she spoke at the United Nations, urging global action to protect children online, with her speech receiving a standing ovation.
“I’m just a mum from Bathurst who is trying to change the world,” she said.
“Australia is one small country against the might of these social media companies but we do stride to the beat of our own drum and I think it will be a domino effect of other countries making similar laws.
“We need enough countries to band together to get the social media companies to actually change their behaviours.”
More than 150 winners, nominees, guests and media attended the ceremony on Thursday night.
Comedian Kitty Flanagan was named entertainer of the year, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant received the powerhouse award, and surfer Molly Picklum was recognised as champion of the year.
Digital healthcare founder Grace Toombs was awarded advocate of the year, sharing the honour with Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre CEO Nicole Yade.
Toombs, a former medical student, said her own experience seeking help for pelvic pain, and later receiving a pap-smear result showing pre-cancerous cells at age 21, shaped her mission to improve women’s health care.
“I realised how easy it is for women to fall through the cracks and it made me really angry,” she said.
“Healthcare has historically been sterile and hasn’t felt inviting particularly for women … I wanted to provide people with access to care and make it empowering.”
Earlier this year she launched June Health, a digital platform offering accessible sexual and reproductive health services. It provides at-home STI and cervical screening kits, now used across every state and territory.
“Women who have had traumatic medical experiences, we have really changed the game for them,” Toombs said.
“June is meant to be a front door to health care, if women have a positive experience with us, we hope they will feel confident accessing the broader system.”
Judges for this year’s awards included former Australian of the Year recipient Grace Tame, comedian Celeste Barber, chef Kylie Kwong and advocate Brittany Higgins.
The nominees and winners represent women making change in both visible and quieter ways, Marie Claire editor Georgie McCourt said.
“It’s work that is hard and necessary and often invisible,” she said.
“These women don’t wait for a better future, they build one – one voice at a time.”
Image: ABC News
