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Finalists named for 2026 City of Wollongong Awards

A surgeon, a religious leader and two couples renowned for contributions to education and culture are among those to be recognised

by Genevieve Swart

Published February 16, 2026

The good work of 22 people and eight organisations will be celebrated at the 2026 City of Wollongong Awards this Thursday afternoon.

Wollongong City Council announced the finalists on Friday, with the short list for Citizen of the Year including a surgeon, a religious leader and two couples renowned for their contributions to education and culture.

Hong-Phong Le and Teresa Tran OAM are known for their long service to the community. Teresa has been the president of the Vietnamese community in Wollongong since 1999; Phong is a board member and a member of the Illawarra branch of the Vietnamese Veterans Association. On February 28, they are inviting the community to celebrate the most significant event on the Vietnamese cultural calendar – Lunar New Year, also known as Tet – at Dapto Ribbonwood Centre.

Robotics mentors Andrew and Lyndell Clark are the founders of the Project Bucephalus robotics teams. They have spent 16 years bringing STEM opportunities to young people from diverse educational, financial and cultural backgrounds, and also founded local LEGO robotics programs that have reached about 11,000 children.

Associate Professor Laurencia Villalba is Wollongong’s pioneering vascular surgeon, credited with saving dozens of lives in the Illawarra since pioneering a key-hole technique to treat pulmonary embolism (PE) eight years ago. In 2024, she was honoured with the Wollongong Lord Mayor’s achievement award.

Venerable Man Ko played a pivotal role in the construction of the Nan Tien Temple at Berkeley, overseeing the process from planning to completion in 1995. She is also known for her broader contribution to spreading humanistic Buddhism, and as the chief abbess of Oceania has also fostered community engagement, cultural exchange and environmental awareness.

The 2026 award winners will be announced at a ceremony at the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus on Thursday, February 19.