Australia honors six First Nations artists and organizations at 2026 Creative Australia awards
Creative Australia presented its annual First Nations Arts and Culture Awards on May 27 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, honoring six artists, advocates, and organizations for their contributions to Indigenous arts and culture.
The awards, presented each year on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum, recognize excellence across a range of creative disciplines. This year’s recipients spanned music, visual art, curation, theatre, film, and arts production.
Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Artistic Excellence
- Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft — A Bundjalung artist whose work is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. She has authored or illustrated 50 children’s books and is a founding member of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, where she has served as volunteer senior strategist since 2009.
- Stephen Pigram — A Yawuru singer-songwriter from Broome, Western Australia, with a five-decade career spanning music, theatre, and film. His songwriting anchored landmark works including Bran Nue Dae and Corrugation Road, and his songs are regarded as living archives of Kimberley ancestral memory and identity.
Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cultural Advocacy and Leadership
- Dr. Djambawa Marawili AM — A leader of the Madarrpa clan in Northeast Arnhem Land, he played a role in the 1988 Barunga Statement and served on the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council from 2013 to 2019. He instigated the Saltwater Collection of bark paintings, which led to the landmark Blue Mud Bay sea rights claim, and led peak body ANKA for over 25 years.
- Hetti Kemarre Perkins — A curator, writer, and presenter from the Arrernte and Kalkadoon communities with more than 30 years of experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual art. She currently serves as Senior Curator at the National Gallery of Australia, has co-curated a major retrospective of Emily Kam Kngwarreye, and has produced documentary series for ABC and SBS/NITV.
Youth Award for Achievement in the Arts
- Hayley Millar Baker — A Gunditjimara and Djabwurrung artist whose immersive work explores Indigenous women’s experiences and Aboriginal philosophy. She was shortlisted for the Australian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale and selected for the MCA’s Primavera: Young Australian Artists program. Her work has been shown at major institutions in Australia and the United States.
Established Artist of the Year Award
- John Harvey — A multidisciplinary artist of Saibai Island (Torres Strait) and English descent working across theatre, visual art, and film. His theatre work The Return won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama, and his installations have appeared at the 2026 Biennale of Sydney and ACMI. He is Creative Director of Brown Cabs and a board member of Bangarra Dance Theatre.
First Nations Arts and Culture Business Innovation Award
- Balya Productions (founder Letisha Ackland) — An Aboriginal-owned production company founded by a Gugada/Wirangu and Mirning woman from Ceduna, South Australia. Balya produces festivals including Yabaardu and the National Indigenous Music Awards, and runs mentorship and training programs creating employment pathways for First Nations youth in the live music industry.
“These First Nations individuals and organisations represent the strength, depth and diversity of First Nations creative practices across the country,” said Franchesca Cubillo, Executive Director of First Nations Arts and Culture at Creative Australia.
Nominations for the 2027 awards are currently open.
