| Brownlow Medal | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The first Brownlow Medal, awarded to Edward Greeves Jr. in 1924 | |
| Awarded for | The best and fairest player in the Australian Football League |
| Location | Crown Palladium Ballroom |
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | Australian Football League |
| First awarded | 1924 |
| Currently held by | Patrick Cripps |
| Website | Brownlow Medal |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | Seven Network (1970–2001, 2007, 2009, 2011–present) Fox Footy (2012–2016) Network Ten (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) Nine Network (2003, 2005) |
The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the four officiating field umpires after each game. It is the most prestigious award for individual players in the AFL. It is also widely acknowledged as the highest individual honour in the sport of Australian rules football.
The medal was first awarded by the Victorian Football League (VFL). It was created and named in honour of Charles Brownlow, a former Geelong Football Club footballer (1880–1891) and club secretary (1885–1923), and VFL president (1918–19), who had died in January 1924 after an extended illness.