Josh Heuston Has Won Our Inaugural Next Gen ELLE Man Of The Year Award, Presented By Louis Vuitton

Josh Heuston has officially taken home the inaugural ELLE Next Gen ‘Man Of The Year’ Award, presented by Louis Vuitton. The 29-year-old Australian actor has had a breakout year as the star of Off Campus, and last night, beneath The Press’ Murano glass chandeliers and mirrored ceilings, he was honoured alongside other rising young creatives in the Australian industry.

Next Gen continues ELLE’s 81-year global legacy of spotlighting emerging talent and inspiring the next generation. Individuals across film, music, beauty, fashion, art and literature were recognised for bringing fresh perspectives and creativity to their industries.

And, it’s hard to think of a rising actor whose had a more meteoric trajectory. Before acting, Heuston modelled while studying biomolecular science, a degree he admits is “now kind of useless”. His move into acting came almost by accident. “I was working as a model at 17 or 18 years old. I continued that while I was at uni. Then I shot a music video and it had the tiniest bit of acting involved and I was like, ‘What is this? I want to do this.’ I basically shifted my life and went down the acting path from there.”

It proved to be a worthwhile pivot. Rising to fame as the cool-but-complicated Dusty Reid in the Heartbreak High reboot, Heuston soon made a name for himself globally as Constantine Corrino in Dune: Prophecy. 

But if Dune put Heuston on the international radar, 2026 has cemented his status as one of Australia’s most exciting young exports. His performance as Justin Kohl in Prime Video’s adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s best-selling Off Campus novels won him an ardent international fandom (some of whom were crowded outside Bridge Lane trying to catch a glimpse of him on the night).

In the series, Heuston plays Justin, a sensitive muso and the crush of Hannah Wells. “He’s a sensitive guy who is shy about his music and he leads with his heart in a lot of ways,” Heuston has said of the character.

With one BookTok phenomenon now under his belt, fans are already wondering whether another could be next. While there have been persistent rumours Heuston might appear in the upcoming Fourth Wing adaptation, Heuston says he’s “just rolling with whatever comes my way at the moment”.

It’s a fairly relaxed attitude for someone whose career is moving at lightning pace. And while there’s plenty of interest in his off-screen love life, the actor — who made an impression on Wednesday’s ELLE Next Gen event in a cream Louis Vuitton ensemble, and was accompanied by his mum and dad — has said there’s one relationship he can confirm.

“Louis Vuitton and I have kind of had a little romance going on for, like, half a decade at this point,” he teased ELLE Australia when asked about romance in his recent profile. 

The family date night and head-to-toe Louis Vuitton felt fitting for Heuston, whose international profile is yet to undermine his laid back demeanour. He may be keeping his next moves close to his chest, but after the year he’s had, it seems unlikely he will be disappearing from our screens — or our feeds — anytime soon.