NBL1 South 2026 Awards Set to Celebrate Season’s Best

The best of the 2026 NBL1 South season will be celebrated this Sunday, with the NBL1 South Awards to be announced on Sunday, July 19 at Lakeside Pavilion.

Following another outstanding regular season across the men's and women's competitions, the annual awards will recognise the players, coaches, officials, executives and clubs who have made a significant impact throughout the 2026 campaign.

Shortlists for the major 2026 awards will be revealed across NBL1 South's official social media channels throughout this week, building towards the announcement of this year's winners on Sunday afternoon.

The NBL1 South Awards recognise excellence across all areas of the league, from individual on-court performance and coaching to officiating, club operations and the people who continue to drive the competition forward.

Major Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player

The NBL1 South Most Valuable Player awards recognise the most outstanding players across the men's and women's competitions.

Following each regular season game, both head coaches and the referees collectively award 3, 2 and 1 votes to the three players they consider the most valuable on court.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top 20 players in game-by-game MVP voting form the shortlist for end-of-season voting. Coaches and team captains then rank five players using a 5–4–3–2–1 voting system and cannot vote for players from their own team.

The player who accumulates the most votes is crowned the NBL1 South MVP.

All NBL1 South First and Second Teams

The All NBL1 South Teams recognise the leading players from the 2026 season.

The five highest-ranked players through the end-of-season MVP voting process are selected in the All NBL1 South First Team, including the automatic inclusion of the MVP. The next five players form the All NBL1 South Second Team.

Selection is non-positional, recognising the ten highest-ranked players through the voting process.

Defensive Player of the Year

Each head coach nominates one player from their own team for Defensive Player of the Year consideration.

Coaches and team captains then vote 3–2–1 from the nominated players, excluding players from their own club, to determine the men's and women's Defensive Players of the Year.

Youth Player of the Year

The top 10 under-23 players from the regular season MVP voting are shortlisted for the Youth Player of the Year awards.

Coaches and team captains cast 3–2–1 votes for three different players and cannot vote for players from their own team.

Coach of the Year

Coaches and team captains determine the NBL1 South Coach of the Year awards through a 3–2–1 voting process.

Voters cannot select the coach of their own team, with the award recognising the coaches who have made the greatest impact throughout the regular season.

Referee Awards

Referee of the Year

The men's and women's Referee of the Year awards are determined by the League's Referee Coaches, led by the NBL1 Elite Development Officer.

The awards recognise excellence, consistency and performance in officiating throughout the NBL1 South season.

Neil Bradbury Referee Coach of the Year

Determined by referee voting at the end of the season, the Neil Bradbury Referee Coach of the Year recognises the most supportive, consistent and helpful referee coach in NBL1 South.

Golden Whistle

Coaches and team captains select the Golden Whistle recipient from the 24 referees chosen to officiate during the NBL1 South Finals.

Voting recognises the referee who best reflects the standards of NBL1 South, demonstrates strong communication and interpersonal skills, and displays the key attributes expected of a basketball referee.

Club and Executive Awards

Club of the Year

The NBL1 South Club of the Year recognises excellence across all areas of league participation.

The award is determined through a ranking system considering Coach and Captain voting, payment of League fees, game day ratings from away coaches and referees, timely supply of player agreements, live streaming views and combined men's and women's regular season performance.

Executive of the Year

The Executive of the Year award celebrates a club administrator who has demonstrated leadership and made an outstanding contribution to their association and the wider NBL1 South competition.

Factors include on-court success, crowd engagement, community connection, professional representation of their association, collaboration with League Management and initiative.

Points off the Bench

The Points off the Bench award recognises the most productive bench units in the League.

Rankings are based on bench points per game across the season, allowing for comparison regardless of round format or club structure, with benchmarks tracked throughout the year to identify the competition's most impactful reserve groups.

Shortlists Revealed This Week

The road to the 2026 NBL1 South Awards begins this week, with award shortlists to be unveiled across NBL1 South's social media channels.

The 2026 award winners will then be announced on Sunday afternoon, July 19th at Lakeside Pavilion, as NBL1 South celebrates the outstanding performances and contributions that have shaped another memorable season.