The Nike Awards

The Australian Hellenic Council’s Nike Awards were inaugurated in 1996 to recognise the achievements of Australians who have made a significant contribution to Australian Hellenism. The list of past Nike Award recipients includes three former Prime Ministers.

The word “Nike” (or “Niki”) means “victory”. For the ancient Hellenes there was nothing sweeter than victory: victory on the battlefield, in the athletic arena or in affairs of the heart. Arguably their passion for victory is what motivated the ancient Hellenes to develop their remarkable civilisation. This passion for victory has been bequeathed to the entire world.

Nike was the name of the ancient Hellenic goddess of victory. She is represented in sculpture and painting as a youthful woman with wings, dressed in a billowing robe, and holding a wreath or staff. According to myth, Nike would descend to earth to reward the victorious side in battle or competition with glory and fame.

Each recipient of the Nike Award is presented with a representation in glass of the goddess which derives from a statue crafted by Paionios of Mende. The Messinians and Nafpaktians (from the states of Messinia and Nafpaktos in southern and central Hellas respectively), commissioned the sculpture from the Macedonian artist in gratitude for their victory over their Spartan rivals in 424 BCE. The statue stood on a tall triangular pedestal before the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, giving the impression that the goddess herself, descending from the heavens, was about to land on that exact spot.

Guiding the victorious in ancient Hellenic mythology, Nike now guides the Australian Hellenic Council in its mission to safeguard the interests of the Australian Hellenic community and to promote closer relations between the Commonwealth of Australia, the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Cyprus.

Nike Award Recipients 1996-2010

Year	Recipient	Reason for nomination
2010	The Hon Cherie Burton MP for Kogarah (NSW)	For services to the Australian Hellenic Community
	The Hon David Clarke MLC (NSW)
2009	The Hon. Michael Atkinson MP Attorney General of South Australia (2002 – 2010)	Efforts for the recognition of the Hellenic Genocide 1914-1924
	Dr Alfred Vincent Former Lecturer Department of Modern Greek The University of Sydney	Contribution to Hellenic education; in particular at the University of Sydney.
2005	Prof. Michael Osborne Vice-Chancellor La Trobe University	Contribution to Ancient Hellenic Studies and the National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research (EKEME), La Trobe University.
	Dr Ian Jobling Director, Centre for Olympic Studies The University of Queensland	Contribution to Hellenic Studies
	Mr David Hill International Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Marbles	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles.
	His Excellency Hugh Gilchrist Former Ambassador of Australia to the Hellenic Republic	Contribution to Australian Hellenic history through his three-volume work Australians and Greeks.
2004	The Hon. Jon Stanhope Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (2001 - )	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, for Justice for Cyprus and service to the Hellenic community.
	Prof. Bob Milns University of Queensland	Contributions to Ancient Hellenic Studies, University of Queensland.
2003	The Hon. Justice John Phillips AC Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria (1990 -2005)	Service to the Hellenic community.
2002	The Rt Hon. John W. Howard Prime Minister of Australia (1996 – 2007)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and for the Australian-Hellenic Social Security Agreement.
	The Hon. John Olsen Premier of South Australia (1996 – 2001)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and service to the Hellenic community.
	The Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles.
2001	The Rt Hon. E. Gough Whitlam Prime Minister of Australia (1972-1975)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and service to the Hellenic community.
	His Worship Cr. Reece Jennings Mayor, City of West Torrens (SA)	Service to the Hellenic community.
	Prof. Colin Tatz Director, Centre for Comparative Genocide Studies, Macquarie University.	Contribution to the Christian Asia Minor Holocaust Research Unit, Macquarie University.
2000	The Hon. Robert J. Carr Premier of New South Wales (1995-2005)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles
	The Hon. Julian Stefani Member of the Legislative Council (Liberal Party - SA)	Service to the Hellenic community.
	The Hon. Lindsay Tanner Federal Member for Melbourne (ALP - Victoria)	Service to the Hellenic community.
1999	The Hon. Vicki Bourne Senator – NSW (Australian Democrats)	Contributions to Justice for Cyprus and service to the Hellenic community.
	The Hon. Joe Hockey Federal Member for North Sydney (Liberal Party – NSW)	Parliamentary Motion on Human Rights of Christians in Turkey.
1998	The Hon. Robert McClelland Federal Member for Barton (ALP – NSW)	Parliamentary Motion on Human Rights of Christians in Turkey and service to the Hellenic community.
	The Hon. Trish Worth Federal Member for Adelaide (Liberal Party – SA)	Contributions to Justice for Cyprus and service to the Hellenic community.
1997	The Hon. Mike Rann Leader of the Opposition (ALP – SA)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and service to the Hellenic community.
	The Hon. Alan Cadman Federal Member for Mitchell (Liberal Party – NSW)	Contributions to Justice for Cyprus, the Macedonian cause and service to the Hellenic community.
	The Hon. Leo McLeay Federal Member for Watson (ALP – NSW)	Contributions to Justice for Cyprus and service to the Hellenic community.
1996	The Hon. Jeff Kennett Premier of Victoria (1992 – 1999)	Efforts for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and service to the Hellenic community.