BA BCom (UNSW) 2020, MEd (UCL) 2021
Sexual consent activist & author of Consent Laid Bare
Chanel Contos founded Teach Us Consent, a campaign that mandated consent education in all Australian schools, and later criminalised 'stealthing' in two Australian states. To achieve this, she worked closely with politicians from across the political spectrum, including prime ministers.
Chanel was the recipient of the Australian Human Rights Commission Young People’s Medal in 2021, listed as one of the BBC’s 100 inspiring and influential women worldwide in 2022, and named NSW Young Woman of the Year in 2023 for her persistent efforts towards eradicating rape culture.
Chanel has also been presented with the prestigious Diana Award for her humanitarian work and was appointed by Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee.
In 2023, she published her first book, Consent Laid Bare, described by Marie Claire as “a blistering, unflinching – and therefore sometimes uncomfortable – look at Australia’s rape culture”. That same year, Chanel spoke at the National Press Club, becoming one of the youngest people to ever do so.
Chanel has a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts from UNSW, and a Masters in Education, Gender and International Development from University College London. She returned to UNSW in 2024 for a talk about Consent Laid Bare as part of International Women’s Day activity.
