The Bettison & James Award

The Bettison & James Award recognises individuals whose inspiring lifelong work has benefited the Australian community.

The Award is administered by the Adelaide Film Festival on behalf of the Jim Bettison and Helen James Foundation. Presented to recognise and celebrate the exemplary and inspiring lifelong work of high achievement and public benefit contributed by many Australians.

Each year $50,000 is awarded to an individual who is demonstrably established in their field and whose work has made a meaningful contribution to the Australian community. Their area of expertise may include the arts and humanities, social justice, the environment or any of the sciences. Recipients recognised for their contribution may then choose to document, preserve or further develop their work.

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Bettison & James Award.

Guidelines

The nominee must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
The Award is only available for individuals.
Candidates for the Award may be invited by the Foundation, or nominated by a third party.
All recipients of the Award should seek advice on the mitigation of tax related to the Award.
The Recipient may be invited to present a paper or speak about their lifetime work and achievements.
The decision of the Selection Committee remains final and no further correspondence will be entered into.

2025 Bettison & James Award Recipient

Richard Leplastrier AO is one of Australia’s most revered and respected architects. His buildings, like his life, are modest, carefully crafted and deeply responsive to landscape and environment.

Leplastrier has always let his work speak for itself, avoiding the media and focusing instead on making quietly radical and exquisite structures that are rooted in place. His generosity as a teacher and mentor has shaped generations of architects, encouraging a more considered and respectful approach to design.

Leplastrier's early career was shaped by his work with two of the 20th century’s most significant architects, Jørn Utzon and Kenzo Tange. He worked with Utzon from 1964 to 1966 at the Palm Beach boat shed office on a series of unrealised houses designed by Utzon for his family plot at Bayview on Pittwater. This formative experience profoundly influenced his approach to architecture. He later worked with Tange, refining his understanding of how architecture can be rooted in tradition and innovative in its expression at the same time.

Leplastrier’s contribution to Australian architecture is widely recognised. He was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to architecture, education, and environmental advocacy. Leplastrier was the third recipient and the only Australian to receive the Spirit of Nature Timber Award (Finland) and was awarded the Dreyer Foundation Award for Sustainability (Denmark). In Australia, his Palm Garden House at Bilgola received the Enduring Architecture Award, and his collaboration on the Aboriginal Studies Faculty at Newcastle University won the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for public architecture.

His work with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust reflects his deep care for the land and its histories. At a time when development pressures continue to reshape the city, he has stood as a steadfast advocate for the protection and thoughtful stewardship of public lands. He understands that Sydney’s harbour is not just a resource but a living place, a cultural landscape that must be handled with sensitivity and respect. His involvement has helped ensure that these lands remain accessible, protected, and valued for their natural and cultural significance.

And then there is his architecture. It is exquisite and radical in its restraint. His buildings are like tents or yachts - light, ephemeral and highly attuned to their surroundings. They are crafted with great care but employ an economy of means. Nothing is extraneous. His buildings demonstrate that true beauty lies in what is essential, in what is necessary. His work quietly reshapes expectations, recalibrates the occupant’s relationship to their environment, showing that architecture can be both deeply human and profoundly environmental.

The beneficiaries of his life’s work are many: students, architects and communities who experience and live amongst his buildings, as well as the broader public who benefit from his commitment to protecting and enhancing the Australian landscape. His legacy is not just in the buildings he has created but in the values he has passed on - of generosity, restraint, humility, and deep environmental awareness.