Mangerton science whiz Ethan Butson could add another trophy to his already overflowing swag of awards if he takes out the 2015 NSW Young Australian of the Year.
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The Illawarra Grammar School Year 12 student’s nomination was announced on Wednesday, while Butson was busy taking his HSC maths exam.
But the 18-year-old is up against some stiff competition - he’ll have to beat out fellow South Coast lad Ryan Campbell, who was the youngest person to circumnavigate the world in a single engine aircraft.
Mr Butson, a budding inventer, has been nominated for his creations, which use technology to help humanity.
The teen created the SMART (stroke management with augmented reality technology) system, a camera-based device that helps people overcome stroke and vision impairment.
He is also developing a new way to treat cancer with radiotherapy, working on a device that can reduce the radiation dose delivered to a patient’s skin.
Butson has already been named NSW and Australian young scientist of the year.
He and sister Macinley also share joint honours as this year’s Wollongong Young Citizen of the Year.
The winners of the state Australian of the Year competition will be announced at a reception at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art on November 10.
NSW winners will then vie for the national awards, which will be held in Canberra on January 25.
Leading citizens revealed
Deborra-lee Furness has an unrelenting passion for adoption reform, Ryan Campbell has an aviation prowess beyond his years and Jackie French is synonymous with children’s literature.
The trio are among the NSW finalists for the 2015 Australian of the Year awards.
The 16 finalists are in four categories, with winners to be announced on November 10.
Ms Furness has been nominated for NSW Australian of the Year for her adoption advocacy.
The wife of Wolverine star Hugh Jackman and mother of two adopted children established National Adoption Awareness Week in 2008 and works to overhaul Australia’s anti-adoption culture and laws.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative Andrew Harper, Antarctic station leader Narelle Campbell and medical innovator Professor Brendan Smith are also in the running.
Jackie French, 60, author of many best-selling children’s books including Diary of a Wombat, is among the finalists for NSW Senior Australian of the Year.
While 20-year-old Ryan Campbell, the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine aircraft, is up for NSW Young Australian of the Year.
In the Australia’s Local Hero category, corporate high-flyer turned charity founder Kevin Robinson is a finalist, as is Australia’s first indigenous surgeon Dr Kelvin Kong.
The NSW award winners move on to the Australian of the Year awards in Canberra in January.
AAP
