South Australian anaesthetist Richard Harris and West Australian retired vet Craig Challen took out their state awards for July's daring salvage of 12 young boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand.

"For two good mates to share the award would be tremendous," Dr Harris said ahead of Friday's ceremony in Canberra.

It's been a whirlwind six months for the two cave divers. Worldwide media attention, movie and book deals, and Australia's highest civilian honour - the Star of Courage.

Dr Harris wants to use his platform to encourage kids to get outdoors and find their inner explorer.

"Maybe get a few grazed knees and stub their toes. Climb a tree, get off their screens and get outside," Harris said.

Mr Challen believes the rescue effort is a metaphor for seizing opportunities in life.

"Australia is a place that presents us with so many opportunities. It's up to all of us to step up and take it, give it a go," he said.

Champion athlete Kurt Fearnley has been nominated for the national award after a glittering 20-year wheelchair racing career.

"The sport gave me life. The sport changed the way I saw myself in about 10 seconds," Fearnley said.

The NSW Australian of the Year, who was born without part of his spine, has also been an advocate for people with disability, campaigning for greater access in communities and workplaces.

Queensland's finalist is Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, the man behind Australia's first police operation proactively targeting online child sex predators.

He's urging parents to stop their children from taking mobile devices to bed, illustrating his point with the case of a 12-year-old girl who was talking to an offender through a mobile device.

"Over the next three hours he instructs her to do some really horrendous, depraved things in her bedroom. You could hear her parents in the other room," Det Insp Rouse said.

Former Essendon AFL star Michael Long's work in reconciliation and efforts to stamp out racism have earned him a shot at the major award after taking out the NT prize in November.

Tasmanian Bernadette Black founded the BRAVE foundation, Australia's only national organisation supporting and representing 8300 expectant and parenting teenagers a year.

She's in the running for the national gong, along with ACT women's advocate and journalist Virginia Haussegger for her work with a foundation striving for gender equality in public life.

Victorian Australian of the Year Mark Sullivan, is the founder and managing director of not-for-profit Medicines Development for Global Health.

MDGH received a world-first approval for its new medicine, moxidectin, which treats river blindness, a debilitating disease endemic amongst the world's poorest people.

Australian Associated Press