The Alumni Awards have honoured the contributions of University of Sydney alumni to the university and the wider community for more than 40 years.
The first Alumni Award was presented in 1980 as the Convocation Medal was awarded in 1980 to composer, Alan John (BA ’80). Alan has been recognised for his scores for stage and screen, including 2015’s Holding the Man and 2004’s Shark Net for which he won a Screen Music Award.
Since then, the awards have expanded to include six Alumni Awards and six Graduate Medal categories. Winners have included actor and director John Bell AM OBE (BA '63, DLitt(Honoris Causa) '96), teacher-extraordinaire Eddit Woo (BEd(Second)(Math)(Hons) '08), astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg (BE(Aerospace)(Hons) '08, BSc(Adv) '08), former Vogue China Editor in Chief Margaret Zhang (BCom ;17, LLB '18) and former University of Sydney Vice Chancellor, Belinda Hutchinson AC (BEc '76).
*Five Graduate Medal categories were introduced in 2011
*Three Alumni Achievement Award categories were introduced in 2008
Alumni Award for Achievement in Community Service: Dr Berel L Behrens (MBBS '64)