A climate solutions innovator who has commercialised a new way to reduce methane emissions is Tasmania's 2025 Australian of the Year.
Sam Elsom, 43, founded Sea Forest, one of the first start-ups to turn asparagopsis, a native Australian red species of seaweed, into a livestock feed supplement.
The award was announced at a ceremony at Princes Wharf in Hobart on Wednesday night, along with other category winners.
By dramatically reducing methane emissions Mr Elsom's work is strengthening the sustainability of livestock industries, slowing global warming and potentially changing the course of our planet's future.
Sea Forest's supplement contains bioactive compounds that stop methane production in the animal's gut.
Adding just 0.2 per cent of the supplement to livestock feed can reduce the methane emissions of cows and sheep by up to 90 per cent, while increasing productivity.
Olympic swimming medallist Ariarne Titmus was recognised as Tasmania's Young Australian of the Year.
Titmus made a name for herself on the global stage in 2018, winning two gold medals and a silver medal in the freestyle events at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
She holds several world records and won gold medals in both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
With her quiet strength and determination, she is a role model for young swimmers who want to improve and test the boundaries of what is possible.
Gynaecological oncologist Penelope Blomfield was named Tasmania's 2025 Senior Australian of the Year.
In 2000, she became the first female gynaecological oncologist in Tasmania and has remained at the forefront of medical research.
Young Leaders of Tasmania founder and chief executive Keren Franks is Tasmania's Local Hero.
Ms Franks, 50, has firsthand experience of the power of inclusion for people living with disability and those around them, through her daughter Bella's experience in school.
This was the catalyst for the creation of the community not-for-profit organisation, Young Leaders of Tasmania in 2017, which runs a range of programs statewide.
