The teenager, who was 12 at the time, was playing with a group of people at Port Sorell in northern Tasmania in January 2023.
"There was a lot of chaos. I kind of realised that no one else there was going to do anything," she said.
"I was ready and then I heard mum from the beach yell jump in, so I just went for it."
Amelia grabbed the boy and swam him towards shore until she felt sand under her toes and could stand up.
"He was kicking and freaking out a bit. I just made sure I was holding him and kept him above the water. When we were out, I gave him a hug," she said.
Amelia's selfless response and quick-thinking has earned her a Royal Life Saving Commendation in the water safety body's 110th year in Tasmania.
Royal Life Saving Tasmania chief executive Michael Ilinsky said Amelia's actions highlighted the importance of swimming skills and education programs.
Amelia was first taught to swim by her mum when she was four, before learning strokes and basic rescue skills through primary school programs.
She was able to recognise distress, respond and get herself into the water safely, Mr Ilinsky said.
"What she has learned across her early years saved a person's life," he said.
In the 2024/25 financial year, 357 people drowned in Australian waterways, an increase of 34 from the 12 months prior.
About one-third were at inland locations and 43 per cent occurred in coastal settings.
The lowest rates of drowning were in children aged 10, but the figure rises rapidly over the next decade, reflecting kids' increased independence, the 2025 Royal Life Saving report says.
A lack of swimming and water safety skills, particularly among young people, remains a key vulnerability, the report adds.
"Our concerns lie with our older teenagers who start to explore aquatic environments they potentially haven't been exposed to previously," Mr Ilinsky said.
"The commitment can't stop at primary school, it needs to go into the secondary system."
Amelia is the first Tasmanian to be awarded the annual commendation, which can be given to members of the general public as well as emergency services personnel.
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