Boxing champion Danny Green has had many opponents, but he has never faced a child brain cancer researcher, a disability advocate and a specialist psychologist.
They are all vying for the WA Australian of the Year award, with Green recognised for establishing the Coward's Punch Campaign to raise awareness, particularly among young men, about the difference between being tough and a thug.
The four-time world champion has called on governments to change legislation so the "king hit" is instead called the "coward's punch".
But he faces stiff competition from other worthy nominees, including paediatric oncologist and brain cancer researcher Nick Gottardo.
Referred to as "Saint Nick" by parents of sick children, Dr Gottardo also co-heads the Telethon Kids Institute's brain tumour research team.
This year, Dr Gottardo and his team made a breakthrough in treating medulloblastoma, one of the most devastating childhood brain cancers, which may lead to a new class of drugs being used to treat it.
Another nominee is former high school teacher Jaqueline Mills, who is the mother of a son with severe cognitive and physical disabilities.
Ms Mills has become the director of Microboard Australia, which helps people with a disability to achieve their goals and needs such travelling, an active social life and living independently.
The final nominee is Njamal woman Tracy Westerman, who founded Indigenous Psychological Services in 1998 to address the high rates of mental illness among Aboriginal people.
Dr Westerman has now trained more than 22,000 clinicians in culturally appropriate psychological approaches and delivered her suicide intervention programs into remote Aboriginal communities throughout Australia.
In other categories, Perth Wildcats basketball player and youth mental health advocate Greg Hire, soccer star Samantha Kerr, Shalom House addiction treatment founder Peter Lyndon-James and Aboriginal storyteller Tyson Mowarin are among the nominees.
The WA award winners will be announced next week in Perth, and they will then join 32 state and territory recipients from around Australia in the national awards, which will be held in Canberra on January 25.
WA AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
Nick Gottardo - paediatric oncologist and brain cancer researcher
Danny Green - anti-violence advocate and sportsman
Jaqueline Mills - advocate for people with disabilities
Tracy Westerman - psychologist
WA SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
Dr Betsy Buchanan - Aboriginal legal and welfare advocate
Raymond Harrington - farmer and inventor
Kathleen Mazzella - women's health champion
Hugh Rogers - seniors' champion
WA YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
Jeffrey Effendi - social entrepreneur and humanitarian
Rahila Haidary - refugee and human rights advocate
Greg Hire - basketball player and youth mental health advocate
Samantha Kerr - soccer player
WA LOCAL HERO NOMINEES:
Andrew Davies - doctor helping homeless people
Reginald Lambert - community stalwart
Peter Lyndon-James - addiction treatment specialist
Tyson Mowarin - Aboriginal storyteller
