The Brownlow Medal (formally the Charles Brownlow Trophy) is an individual award given to the player judged fairest and best in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the regular season. Determined by votes cast by the officiating umpires after each game, it is considered the highest honour for individual players in the AFL.

The medal has been awarded every year since 1924, with the exception of 1942–1945 due to World War II. As of 2026, the Brownlow Medal has been awarded 113 times to 92 different players in 98 medal counts.

Winners by season

Voting systems: 1924–1930 – Single umpire awards 1 vote to best on ground only 1931–1975 – Single umpire awards 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground 1976–1977 – Two umpires separately award 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground 1978–present – Umpiring team collectively awards 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground

Until 1980, a countback system was used to determine the winner in the event of a tie. In 1930, Judkins was awarded the medal because he had played in the fewest games; and from 1931 to 1980, the winner was the player with the most three-vote games. In 1980, the countback system was removed, and in the event of a tie, players have been considered joint winners. In 1989, the countback was retroactively removed from all previous counts, and all players who had previously lost on countback were considered joint winners.

YearPlayerTeamVotes19247 161925 9 171926 (1/2)9 181927 7 1928 (2/2)8 1929 6 161930 4 184 4 1931 (1/3)26 1932 (2/3)23 1933 18 1934 (1/3)19 1935 (3/3)24 1936 26 1937 (2/3)27 1938 (3/3)18 1939 23 1940 32 32 1941 23 1942No medal awarded due to World War II1943194419451946 20 191947 20 1948 24 1949 23 23 1950 21 181951 23 1952 (1/2)21 19 (1/2)21 1953 (2/2)26 181954 (2/2)29 1955 21 1956 22 1957 24 1958 20 1959 20 (1/3)20 1960 20 1961 21 1962 28 1963 (2/3)20 1964 27 1965 20 (1/3)20 1966 (2/3)21 1967 24 1968 (3/3)24 201969 19 1970 25 221971 (3/3)21 1972 25 1973 (1/2)27 1974 (2/2)27 1975 20 1976 481977 591978 22 1979 (1/2)22 1980 23 1981 22 22 1982 23 1983 24 1984 (2/2)24 1985 22 198617 (1/2)17 198720 20 1988 20 1989 22 1990 18 1991 25 1992 20 1993 18 201994 (2/2)30 221995 21 1996 21 21 1997 (1/2)26 1998 (2/2)32 1999 28 2000 24 2001 23 2002 25 200322 22 (1/2)22 2004 (1/2)30 2005 20 2006 (2/2)26 2007 29 2008 24 2009 (1/2)30 2010 (2/2)30 2011 34 201226262013 (2/2)28 2014 26 2015 (1/2)31 2016 35 2017 36 2018 28 2019 (2/2)33 2020 (1/2)31 17202136 222022 (1/2)Carlton29 2023 (2/2)31 232024 (2/2)Carlton45 202539202647

Notes

As a mark of respect to soldiers fighting overseas in World War II, the medal was not awarded during 1942–1945.

Ineligible players who polled the most votes A player guilty of an offence deemed worthy of a suspension by the AFL's disciplinary tribunal for serious on-field offences is ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal. Suspended players have tallied the highest number of votes for the award on three occasions. In the third of those cases, Jobe Watson, who won in 2012, was later found guilty of breaching WADA's anti-doping code in the 2012 season, and was retrospectively ruled ineligible by the AFL Commission in November 2016.

Player Team Year Votes Outcome199621Suspended; would have been joint winner with Hird and Voss.199727Suspended; would have won outright, beating Harvey by one vote.201230Awarded the medal in 2012, beating Mitchell and Cotchin by four votes. In 2016 he was retrospectively ruled ineligible because of his involvement in the Essendon supplements saga.

Multiple winners

The following players have won the Brownlow Medal multiple times.

Medals Player Team Seasons3 Haydn Bunton Sr. Fitzroy 1931, 1932, 1935 Dick Reynolds Essendon 1934, 1937, 1938 Bob Skilton South Melbourne 1959, 1963, 1968 Ian StewartSt Kilda / Richmond 1965, 1966, 19712 Ivor Warne-Smith Melbourne 1926, 1928 Bill Hutchison Essendon 1952, 1953 Roy Wright Richmond 1952, 1954 Keith Greig North Melbourne 1973, 1974 Peter Moore Collingwood / Melbourne 1979, 1984 Greg Williams Sydney / Carlton 1986, 1994 Robert Harvey St Kilda 1997, 1998 Adam Goodes Sydney 2003, 2006 Chris Judd West Coast / Carlton 2004, 2010 Gary Ablett Jr. Geelong / Gold Coast 2009, 2013 Nat Fyfe Fremantle 2015, 2019 Lachie Neale Brisbane Lions 2020, 2023Patrick CrippsCarlton2022, 2024

Brownlow wins by clubs +TeamWinsYears wonSouth Melbourne/Sydney141940, 1949, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1995

2003, 2006Collingwood101927, 1929, 1930, 1939, 1940, 1972 1979, 2003, 2011, 2026Footscray/Western Bulldogs101930, 1941, 1956, 1960, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1992, 2008St Kilda101925, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1987, 1997, 1998 Fitzroy81931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1950 1969, 1981Essendon81934, 1937, 1938, 1952, 1953, 1976 1993, 1996Richmond71930, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1971, 2012, 2017Melbourne71926, 1928, 1946, 1982, 1984, 1991, 2000Geelong71924, 1951, 1962, 1989, 2007, 2009, 2016Carlton71947, 1961, 1964, 1994, 2010, 2022, 2024 Hawthorn61949, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2012, 2018North Melbourne51965, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1983Brisbane Lions42001, 2002, 2020, 2023West Coast32004, 2005, 2014Fremantle22015, 2019Gold Coast22013, 2025Brisbane Bears11996Adelaide12003Port Adelaide12021

See also Brownlow Medal

Notes

External links Brownlow winners list from AFL Tables Brownlow Medal Winners interactive visualization