Australia's Ashes struggle is not the most important thing on the mind of former test cricketing great Adam Gilchrist at the moment.
As chairman of the National Australia Day Council his first priority right now is spruiking the Australian of the Year awards.
That's because nominations for the awards' four categories close on August 31.
Gilchrist was in Canberra on Monday spruiking for more than the 1,000 nominations already submitted.
Some of the well-known names nominated for the 2010 awards are brain surgeon Charles Teo, Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon, rugby league footballer Hazem El Masri and film director Baz Luhrmann.
But the great majority of nominations are for the nation's quiet achievers.
"We see these awards as our gift to ourselves if you like, to acknowledge those people around us who do amazing things in the community," Gilchrist said.
Pierre Johannessen, 26, from Canberra has been nominated in the Young Australian of the Year category for developing Big Bang Ballers, a not-for-profit organisation using basketball to tackle youth poverty and social disadvantage around the world.
"I'm completely shocked," he said of his nomination.
"I'm so awed and inspired and just humbled by the fact that somebody would nominate me for something like this."
Johannessen, who has launched similar programs in places such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal, said a nationwide tour and program would begin next year.
The four award categories are: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian, Young Australian and Australia's Local Hero.
Nominations can be submitted online at www.australianoftheyear.org.au
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