High-profile media personality Basil Zempilas, known for his work as a television and radio presenter and sports commentator, has been named Kastellorizian of the Year for 2018.

The prestigious award, first established by the Kastellorizian Association of Victoria in 1993, each year aims to honour a ‘Kazzie’ who has excelled in their professional field and stood out for their contribution to the community.

A graduate of Murdoch University, Mr Zempilas kick started his career in print media before entering the arena of Australian television in 1994.

Having 25 years of experience in the media industry under his belt, he has often used his work as a platform to support various charities, primarily through his involvement in Channel Seven Perth’s Telethon, which he has anchored since 2010. Just last year, the initiative managed to raise a record total of $36 million.

Among his other roles, Mr Zempilas presents sport on a weekly basis on Seven News Perth, co-hosts Weekend Sunrise for the Seven Network from Sydney and a weekday breakfast program on AM station 6PR for Macquarie Radio Network.

As part of the Seven Network broadcasting team, he has attended seven Olympic Games.

Nine years ago, he chose to celebrate his wedding with Amy Graham on the island of his ancestors, with family and friends travelling all the way to Kastellorizo to join them.

President of the Kastellorizian Association of Vistoria, Nik Spartels described Mr Zempilas as a worthy recipient.

“Basil Zempilas more than meets the three main criteria of the award – he is of Kastellorizian descent with both set of grandparents and his mother born on the island of Kastellorizo; he has demonstrated excellence in his field of endeavour and has made an outstanding contribution to the wider community, and is an inspirational role model for Kastellorizians. In addition, Basil is very proud of his heritage and he and his extended family are widely respected by the Kastellorizian, Greek, and Australian community,” Mr Spartels said.

The award ceremony will be held in Melbourne in October.