Champion Athletes Recognised at 2026 Snow Australia Awards
Mountainwatch | Press release
The 2026 Snow Australia Awards marked the official homecoming of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic team from the Milano-Cortina Games, with the snowsports community coming together to celebrate the achievements from the year that was in Melbourne tonight.
Australia’s newly minted Olympic and Paralympic medallists were among those in attendance at the 2026 Snow Australia Awards, which saw athletes recognised for their performances on snow at every level, from Junior World Championships right through to the Milano-Cortina Games.
Outgoing Snow Australia CEO Michael Kennedy, said tonight’s Awards caps off a phenomenal year of performances by Australian athletes on the global stage.
“Tonight we celebrated an incredible 12 months of Australian performances internationally, highlighted by our best event Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games earlier this year in Milano-Cortina.
“Australians were hooked in watching our athletes not only perform but deliver in Milano-Cortina, with a record number of top 10 finishes across both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but also right across the World Cup season.
“Tonight we celebrated as a community the wonderful achievements of our athletes and coaches, both on and off the snow,” he said.
Amongst Australia’s six Winter Olympic Games medallists from Milano-Cortina, Cooper Woods, who won gold in sensational fashion in a red hot men’s moguls final, was rewarded with the Male Athlete of the Year for Olympic Disciplines.
The 25-year-old, who had only once been on the moguls World Cup podium, delivered a masterclass to come through the qualifiers and top the Olympic podium.
“To be up against the likes of Scotty James, Val (Guseli), Adam Lambert, Matty Graham and win an award of this honour is unbelievable and I’m just so happy and so proud,” Woods said.
“I’m just trying to enjoy every little moment that’s coming at me…and have fun. When this all settles, in a month or so, I’ll probably have some time to really sit down and reflect on what’s happened this year.
“Nights like this are really important to reconnect, share the memories of the journey and celebrate with one another,” he said.
Two more Olympic gold medallists Jakara Anthony and Josie Baff could not be split by the judges and jointly took homeFemale Athlete of the Year for Olympic Disciplines. Anthony dominated the World Cup circuit, winning three gold medals before arriving in Milan where she became Australia’s first and only Winter Olympian to win two gold medals.
“It’s so exciting – like everyone has said tonight we had such an incredible Games and to get to share this Award with Josie and to take home the (Olympic) gold together is unreal,” Anthony said.
“To get to share this Award with someone this time around just shows how far we’ve come, and it’s so exciting, and I couldn’t ask for a better athlete and person to share it with,” she said.
Jindabyne’s first Olympic gold medalist, Josie Baff, also had a sensational winter with three World Cup podiums, finishing the season ranked fourth overall.
“Every year the girls up on that stage are taking it to a new level, so it takes something incredible to win this Award,” Baff said. “To win Olympic gold medals is just insane, Indra’s season was so inspiring and of course Dani’s silver. So I’m really proud to be standing here with Jakara tonight as joint winners of this Award,” she said.
For Athlete of the Year in Paralympic Disciplines Awards, Ben Tudhope won the male athlete award for the eighth year in a row, adding two more Paralympic medals and three World Cup podiums to his already-impressive record during his 2025/26 campaign.
“I think this is number seven, or eight…I’ve lost count,” Tudhope joked. “But it’s incredible, and this night is always great to catch up and see the whole snow industry come together, and what a year it’s been for wintersport in Australia, so this one is definitely really special,” he said.
Georgia Gunew took out the female award for the third time, accepting the accolade with guide Ethan Jackson following a season which saw them achieve a season-best result of third place in a World Cup slalom, alongside three top five finishes across their World Cup campaign.
“Receiving this award is so special, and I’m proud to represent everyone here,” Gunew said.
They also made their Paralympic debut, recording impressive finishes of tenth and eleventh against the world’s best.
“This season was just insanity – we’ve never done a Games before so being there for the first time is crazy and an experience I’ll never forget. “I’’m really excited to come back for the French Alps (Winter Paralympics 2030) and try and run it back, and achieve the best we can achieve,” she said.
The prestigious Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Matt Graham who had an incredible season, highlighted by an Olympic bronze medal, two World Cup gold medals, one silver and seven top-5 World Cup finishes – finishing the season ranked second overall.
The Junior Athlete of the Year award was taken out by teenage sensation Indra Brown, who made history during the 2025/26 season, winning a medal in her World Cup debut, going on to win two more World Cup medals including a maiden victory all before the age of 16. She also won the Junior World Championships title, and finished fifth at the Olympic Winter Games.
Moguls coach Peter McNeil won the Award for the Coach of the Year in a season in which his athletes delivered three Winter Olympics Games medals, among a host of World Cup podiums.
Retiring athletes Belle Brockhoff, Phil Bellingham and Harry Laidlaw received their Snow Australia Medals, with Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin posthumously honoured, his dad Chris accepting the award on behalf of the Pullin family. The Snow Australia Medal is presented to all athletes across Olympic and Paralympic disciplines who during their career represented Australia at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games or finished top three at a World Cup or World Championship level.
