Every week a player is nominated for the award and at the end of the year a panel of AFL figures (adminstrators and broadcasters) 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 suspended. 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)
Harvey Langford - 2025 (4th - 20 votes)
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
2025
Harvey Langford - Round 3 vs Gold Coast
Xavier Lindsay - Round 7 vs Richmond
Teams most nominated against
6 - Port Adelaide
5 - Richmond
4 - Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Gold Coast, West Coast
3 - Collingwood, Fremantle, 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