Every week a player is nominated for the award and at the end of the year a panel of nine AFL figures (adminstrators and broadcasters) cast 5-4-3-2-1 vote for the winner.
To be eligible to be nominated for the award a player must be under 21 on January 1 of that year, have played 10 or fewer senior games before the beginning of the season, and not have been committed an offence that would have earned them more than 100 carry-over points at the tribunal during the season.
It is possible for a player to be nominated for the award twice while he is eligible. Nathan Jones, Jordan Gysberts, Sam Blease, Luke Jackson and jake Bowey were nominated twice.
AFL
Winners
Jared Rivers - 2004
Jesse Hogan - 2015
Luke Jackson - 2021
Runners-Up
Aaron Davey - 2004
Tom Scully - 2010
Other finalists
Shane Woewodin - 1997 (8th - 2 votes)
Brad Green - 2000 (4th - 12 votes)
Matthew Whelan - 2000 (7th - 2 votes)
Nathan Jones - 2007 (3rd - 17 votes)
Clint Bartram - 2006 (5th - 7 votes)
Cale Morton - 2008 (7th - 3 votes)
Austin Wonaeamirri - 2008 (9th - 1 vote)
Jack Trengove - 2010 (4th - 11 votes)
Tom McDonald - 2012 (6th - 7 votes)
Angus Brayshaw - 2015 (5th - 8 votes)
Christian Petracca - 2016 (7th - 2 votes)
Clayton Oliver - 2016 (7th - 1 vote)
Nominees
1993
David Neitz - Round 6 vs Richmond
Darren Kowal - Round 14 vs St. Kilda
1996
Adem Yze - Round 11 vs Fitzroy
Jeff Farmer - Round 21 vs West Coast
1997
Shane Woewodin - Round 10 vs Richmond
1998
Travis Johnstone - Round 8 vs Collingwood
Russell Robertson - Round 14 vs West Coast
1999
Troy Longmuir - Round 4 vs Hawthorn
2000
Cameron Bruce - Round 8 vs Port Adelaide
Matthew Whelan - Round 15 vs Hawthorn
Brad Green - Round 19 vs St. Kilda
2002
Steven Armstrong - Round 3 vs Richmond
2004
Aaron Davey - Round 1 vs Hawthorn
Jared Rivers - Round 3 vs Western Bulldogs
2005
Brock McLean - Round 3 vs Geelong
Colin Sylvia - Round 9 vs Carlton
2006
Clint Bartram - Round 7 vs Fremantle
Matthew Bate - Round 18 vs Carlton
Nathan Jones - Round 20 vs North Melbourne
2007
Ricky Petterd - Round 6 vs Port Adelaide
Nathan Jones - Round 17 vs Port Adelaide
2008
Austin Wonaeamirri - Round 7 vs Fremantle
Colin Garland - Round 14 vs Brisbane Lions
Cale Morton - Round 20 vs West Coast
2009
Jack Grimes - Round 14 vs West Coast
Liam Jurrah - Round 15 vs Port Adelaide
2010
Jack Trengove - Round 5 vs Brisbane Lions
Tom Scully - Round 7 vs Western Bulldogs
Jordan Gysberts - Round 11 vs Carlton
2011
Jordan Gysberts - Round 11 vs Essendon
Sam Blease - Round 23 vs Gold Coast
2012
Tom McDonald - Round 13 vs Greater Western Sydney
Sam Blease - Round 18 vs St Kilda
2013
Jack Viney - Round 21 vs Fremantle
2015
Jesse Hogan - Round 9 vs Port Adelaide
Angus Brayshaw - Round 10 vs Collingwood
2016
Clayton Oliver - Round 1 vs Greater Western Sydney
James Harmes - Round 7 vs Gold Coast
Christian Petracca - Round 9 vs Brisbane Lions
Oscar McDonald - Round 21 vs Port Adelaide
2020
Luke Jackson - Round 10 vs Adelaide
Kysaiah Pickett - Round 11 vs North Melbourne
2021
Luke Jackson - Round 7 vs North Melbourne
James Jordon - Round 8 vs Sydney
Trent Rivers - Round 11 vs Western Bulldogs
Jake Bowey - Round 22 vs Adelaide
2022
Jake Bowey - Round 2 vs Gold Coast
2023
Jacob van Rooyen - Round 12 vs Carlton
Judd McVee - Round 18 vs Brisbane Lions
2024
Caleb Windsor - Round 8 vs Geelong
Teams most nominated against
6 - Port Adelaide
4 - Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Richmond, West Coast
3 - Collingwood, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Footscray/Western Bulldogs
2 - Adelaide, Fitzroy, Fremantle, Geelong, Greater Western Sydney
1 - Brisbane Bears, Essendon, Sydney
AFLW
Winners
2017
Lily Mithen - Round 2, 2017 vs Collingwood
Jasmine Grierson - Round 4, 2017 vs Carlton
Katherine Smith - Round 6, 2017 vs Adelaide
Deanna Berry - Round 7, 2017 vs Fremantle
2019
Eden Zanker - Round 3, 2019 vs Brisbane Lions
2021
Tyla Hanks - Round 2 vs Richmond
Eliza McNamara - Round 7 vs Adelaide
2022 summer
Alyssa Bannan - Round 2 vs Richmond
Megan Fitzsimon - Round 3 vs St Kilda
2022 spring
Tahlia Gillard - Round 9 vs Essendon
Teams most nominated against
2 - Adelaide, Richmond
1 - Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, St Kilda