Frankston captain Trent Mynott and Geelong Cats midfielder George Stevens tied for the J.J. Liston Trophy, while Williamstown star Emily Eaves was crowned the Lambert-Pearce Medal winner at the 2026 VFL and VFLW Awards.
Mynott and Stevens each polled 22 votes to claim the VFL best and fairest in the tenth tie in the award’s history. Mynott became the first Frankston player to win the award since Aaron Edwards in 2006, while Stevens was the first Cat since Jordan Schroder in 2013.
Both polled votes from the umpires in 10 matches during the home and away season, with each receiving best on ground honours on five occasions.
The triumph capped a great end to Mynott’s VFL career after announcing his retirement from state league football at the end of the season. Meanwhile for Stevens it added to an already big week ahead of representing Geelong in the VFL Grand Final against the Box Hill Hawks at IKON Park on Sunday.
For the first time since 2003, the J.J. Liston Trophy wasn’t awarded to the highest vote winner.
Port Melbourne midfielder Ben Hobbs topped the count with 26 votes but was ineligible to win the award after being suspended during the home and away season. Last year’s winner Jacob Dawson finished one vote behind Hobbs but was also ineligible due to suspension.
The Southport star did take out his third Coaches MVP award, adding to his triumphs in 2025 and 2022. He was also runner-up in 2023 and third in 2024.
Dawson earned votes from the coaches in 15 matches to finish on 105 votes, followed by Coburg midfielder Jack Bytel (90) and Stevens (89).
Emily Eaves’ triumph for the Lambert-Pearce Medal followed consecutive top-five finishes for the VFLW best and fairest award across the past three seasons.
The powerful on-baller started the season in red-hot form, earning best on ground honours in four of the first six rounds. She then finished in a blaze of glory, polling nine votes in her last four matches.
She finished with 21 votes to edge out Collingwood captain Dom Carbone, who polled 18 votes in 10 appearances either side of winning a spot on the Magpies’ AFLW list midway through the season. Carlton young gun Hannah Scott was third on 17 votes.
Eaves’ dominance helped steer Williamstown to a first-place finish on the ladder, before securing a spot in the VFLW Grand Final for the first time where the Seagulls will take on two-time reigning premier North Melbourne Werribee at IKON Park on Sunday.
Ava Seton was crowned the VFLW Coaches MVP in her first season for North Melbourne Werribee after crossing from Port Melbourne.
Seton claimed 76 votes, which included three perfect matches where she received all ten votes from the coaches. She leapfrogged Carbone in the final round of the season, with the Magpies captain finishing on 72 votes. Seton’s teammate Alana Barba was third on 68.
Stella Huxtable became the second-consecutive Collingwood player to be awarded the Debbie Lee Medal as the VFLW Rising Star. Huxtable played 13 matches for the preliminary finalists in her debut season and was named in the VFLW Team of the Year.
Werribee’s Brady Wright joined an illustrious list of winners of the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most promising VFL player aged 24 or under. The key forward assumed the mantle as the Tigers’ main target in attack this year and booted 49 goals to win selection in the VFL Team of the Year.
The 2026 VFL Umpires of the Year were Sam Whetton (field), Harrison Hansford (boundary) and John Varker (goal), while the VFLW Umpires of the Year were Ky Shennan (field), Claire Irving (boundary) and Damon Kelly (goal).
J.J. LISTON TROPHY (VFL Best and Fairest)
Ben Hobbs* (Port Melbourne) – 26 votes
Jacob Dawson* (Southport Sharks) – 25
Trent Mynott (Frankston) – 22
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 22
Joel Fitzgerald (Casey Demons/Williamstown) – 20
Finn Maginness (Box Hill Hawks) – 19
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 18
Jack Toner (Williamstown) – 17
Elijah Tsatas (Essendon) – 16
* Ineligible due to being suspended
LAMBERT-PEARCE MEDAL (VFLW Best and Fairest)
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 21 votes
Dom Carbone (Collingwood) – 18
Hannah Scott (Carlton) – 17
Kayley Kavanagh (Box Hill Hawks) – 16
Alana Barba (North Melbourne Werribee) – 14
Ava Seton (North Melbourne Werribee) – 14
Mia Zielinski (Williamstown) – 14
El Chaston (Essendon) – 13
Jorja Livingstone (Western Bulldogs) – 13
Isabella Daddo (Darebin) – 12
Amelia Peck (Collingwood) 12
VFL COACHES MVP
Jacob Dawson (Southport Sharks) – 105 votes
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 90
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 89
Trent Mynott (Frankston) – 85
Ben Hobbs (Port Melbourne) – 79
Jye Menzie (Tasmania) – 57
Joel Fitzgerald (Casey Demons/Williamstown) – 55
Jack Ough (GWS Giants) – 54
Jack Bowes (Geelong Cats) – 51
Cooper Craig-Peters (Footscray Bulldogs) – 51
VFLW COACHES MVP
Ava Seton (North Melbourne Werribee) – 76 votes
Dom Carbone (Collingwood) – 72
Alana Barba (North Melbourne Werribee) – 68
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 67
Hannah Scott (Carlton) – 66
Kayley Kavanagh (Box Hill Hawks) – 50
Caitlin Bunker (Darebin) – 47
Mia Caffry (Port Melbourne) – 45
Mia Zielinski (Williamstown) – 44
El Chaston (Essendon) – 43
Naomi Ferres (Williamstown) – 43
VFL TEAM OF THE YEAR
VFLW TEAM OF THE YEAR
JIM ‘FROSTY’ MILLER MEDAL (VFL Leading Goalkicker)
Corey Ellison (Frankston) – 52 goals
ROHENNA YOUNG MEDAL (VFLW Leading Goalkicker)
Mia Zielinski (Williamstown) – 32 goals
FOTHERGILL-ROUND-MITCHELL MEDAL (VFL Rising Star)
Winner: Brady Wright (Werribee)
Finalists: Tom Barnett (Coburg), Brandon Leary (Tasmania), Nathan Philactides (Sandringham) and Josh Tovey (Port Melbourne)
DEBBIE LEE MEDAL (VFLW Rising Star)
Winner: Stella Huxtable (Collingwood)
Finalists: Ella Stoddart (Box Hill Hawks), Hannah Scott (Carlton), Grace White (Tasmania) and Mia Zielinski (Williamstown)
VFL UMPIRES OF THE YEAR
Sam Whetton (field), Harrison Hansford (boundary) and John Varker (goal)
VFLW UMPIRES OF THE YEAR
Ky Shennan (field), Claire Irving (boundary) and Damon Kelly (goal)