'Look beyond TikTok. Look for people who are changing lives'

You probably haven't heard of Jeff Wang, and frankly he'd like to keep it that way. He'd rather shine a spotlight on people he thinks are more deserving of recognition.

But the Sydneysider is pretty chuffed with a behind-the-scenes achievement: he has twice nominated someone who's gone on to receive an Australian of the Year Award.

You could say Mr Wang knows how to pick a winner.

In 2018 he nominated YouTube mathematics star Eddie Woo and in 2023 he nominated Turbans 4 Australia charity advocate Amar Singh.

They each went on to be named Australia's Local Hero, one four categories in the annual awards.

With nominations now open for the 2025 awards, Mr Wang is calling on Australians to think of their community's outstanding individuals. His advice? Take it back to basics: "Look beyond TikTok. Look for people who are changing lives".

He tries to nominate someone every year. "I got lucky twice," he said. "It was an easy sell for me. All I did was find them and tell everyone about them. When I see someone doing great things I want to tell the world about them."

Working in sales, Mr Wang is instinctively good at pitching a case. But his work with young Australians of diverse cultural backgrounds fuelled his mission: "I founded a non-profit organisation called Professional Development Forum to promote diversity in leadership and help people find more fulfilment in the workplace. Reaching success is not about self-advancement but finding purpose".

Describing himself as an advocate for the Asian-Australian community, Mr Wang is always on the lookout for people doing good things and promoting cultural harmony.

"I came across Eddie's story with a former Australian of the Year winner in Victoria. We spotted him on television when he was profiled for teaching maths online. We reached out to him and said we loved what he was doing and that he deserved to be recognised."

Mr Woo's "biggest talent is communicating with people," Mr Wang said. "Even with his accolades, he's still so well grounded. He refused to take higher paying jobs. He became a teacher to teach. His story warmed my heart."

This wasn't a needle in a haystack find. "I see people like him all the time. People who are selflessly giving themselves. They do incredibly difficult jobs and hardly any of them get recognition they deserve. We need to show people the type of person they are."

Mr Wang was similarly inspired by Mr Singh's story: "I got to know Amar through a program where he empowers people from the multicultural community. He was an average teenager who started a charity to help people who struggled during COVID-19, and through floods and bushfires. He demonstrates the very best of what multicultural Australia can represent. He cares not only for his community but for the Aboriginal community".

He admits many people he wants to nominate say they'd prefer to keep a low profile. "I see a lot of them," he said. "We need to give our ethnic and minority communities an elevated pitch. It's not good enough to do good - you have to tell people."

Help find the 2025 Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia's Local Hero by nominating someone you admire.

The only way someone can be considered for the annual awards, which were first presented in 1960, is if a member of the public nominates them.

Nominating is easy and can be done online at australianoftheyear.org.au.

Nominations close at midnight on July 31