NAIDOC Awards


The NAIDOC Awards are annual Australian awards conferred on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals during the national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples known as NAIDOC Week. The name is derived from the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

The committee

The awards are named after the committee that was originally responsible for organising the national activities to mark NAIDOC Week, the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Each year, a different city hosts the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. The host city, National NAIDOC Poster Competition and the NAIDOC Awards recipients are selected by the National NAIDOC Committee. The awards are presented at the annual NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and Ball.

Categories

The names of the categories have varied over time. In 1985 Awards for Aboriginal of the Year, and for Aboriginal young people aged 12 to 25 were introduced.
the categories comprise:
The first NAIDOC poster was created in 1972 to promote "Aborigines Day", which had been established as part of a campaign for better rights for Aboriginal people. The posters continued to reflect the spirit of protest until 1977, with titles like "Self Determination" and "Chains or Chance". The 1978 poster was different, reflecting the move from a single day of demonstration to a celebration lasting a week each July, after the new committee was established. The 1988 poster, "Recognise and Share the Survival of the Oldest Culture in the World" reflected the name change to NAIDOC, which formally included Torres Strait Islander people in the event. In the 1990s a competition to design the poster was introduced.

Winners 2021–2030

2025 winners

2025 recipients:
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Michael Long
  • Person Award – Dr Daniel Hunt
  • Female Elder Award – Aunty Rosalie Kickett
  • Male Elder Award – Uncle Harry Hall
  • Sportsperson Award – Danielle Ponter
  • Youth Award – Anika Gosling
  • Creative Talent Award – Christine Anu
  • Caring for Country and Culture Award – Wadjemup Project Steering Group
  • Education Award – Professor Eddie Cubillo
  • Innovation Award – Blak Brews

    2024 winners

2024 recipients:
The awards ceremony was held in Melbourne on 2 July 2022. The winners are:
  • Person of the Year — Ash Barty
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Stan Grant Snr
  • Female Elder Award – Lois Peeler
  • Male Elder Award – Uncle Jack Charles
  • Sportsperson Award – Buddy Franklin
  • Youth Award – Elijah Manis
  • Creative Talent Award – Lowell Hunter
  • Caring for Country and Culture Award – Walter Jackson
  • Education Award – Bronwyn Fredericks
  • Innovation Award – The Koori Mail team and volunteers, for their "coordination and leadership" of relief efforts after the record-breaking March 2022 floods in Lismore

    2021 winners

The 2021 National NAIDOC Awards ceremony in Alice Springs was cancelled. An alternative NAIDOC Awards event was planned for 3 July 2021 at the Sydney Opera House, but was postponed. As Sydney went into a COVID-19 lockdown on 23 June, rules for travellers returning to the Northern Territory meant that most people could not attend the Sydney event without a 14-day quarantine. The award-winners were announced on 1 December 2021. The winners are:
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Pat O'Shane
  • Person of the Year – Keri Tamwoy
  • Female Elder of the Year – Christobel Swan
  • Male Elder of the Year – Ernest Hoolihan
  • Caring for Country – Gadrian Hoosan on behalf of the Borroloola Community
  • Youth of the Year – Samara Fernandez-Brown
  • Artist of the Year – Bobbi Lockyer
  • Scholar of the Year – Sasha Purcell
  • Apprentice of the Year – Jarron Andy
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Clarence "CJ" McCarthy-Grogan

    Winners 2011–2020

2020 winners

  • Due to the impact and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia the National NAIDOC Committee cancelled the 2020 National NAIDOC Awards. The National Indigenous Australians Agency announced the 2020 awards would be presented in July 2021 with the 2021 awards.

    2019 winners

  • Sportsperson of the Year – Shantelle Thompson
  • Female Elder of the Year – Thelma Weston
  • Male Elder of the Year – Greg Little
  • Person of the Year – Dean Duncan
  • Artist of the Year – Elma Gada Kris
  • Youth of the Year – Mi-kaisha Masella
  • Lifetime achievement award – David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu
  • Caring for Country – Littlewell Working Group
  • Scholar of the Year – Professor Michael McDaniel
  • Apprentice of the Year – Ganur Maynard

    2018 winners

  • Sportsperson of the Year – Jack Peris
  • Female Elder of the Year – Lynette Nixon
  • Male Elder of the Year – Russell Charles Taylor AM
  • Person of the Year – Dr June Oscar AO
  • Artist of the Year – Adam Briggs "Briggs"
  • Youth of the Year – Tamina Pitt
  • Lifetime achievement award – Patricia Anderson AO
  • Caring for Country – Mungalla Aboriginal Business Corporation in North Queensland
  • Scholar of the Year – Professor Michelle Trudgett
  • Apprentice of the Year – Folau Talbot

    2017 winners

  • Sportsperson of the Year – Amanda Reid
  • Female Elder of the Year – Faye Carr
  • Male Elder of the Year – Alex "Ollie" George
  • Person of the Year – Patrick "Patty" Mills
  • Artist of the Year – Elverina Johnson
  • Youth of the Year – Latia Schefe
  • Lifetime achievement award – Dianne Ryder
  • Caring for Country – Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation
  • Scholar of the Year – Dr James Charles
  • Apprentice of the Year – Sharee Yamashita

    2016 winners

  • Sportsperson of the Year – Jade North
  • Female Elder of the Year – MaryAnn Bin-Sallik
  • Male Elder of the Year – Robert Francis Isaacs
  • Person of the Year – Goreng Goreng man Professor Chris Sarra
  • Artist of the Year – Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
  • Youth of the Year – Elijah Douglas
  • Lifetime achievement award – Stephen Page
  • Caring for Country – Manymak Energy Efficiency Project
  • Scholar of the Year – Layneisha Sgro
  • Apprentice of the Year – Montana Ah-Won

    2015 winners

  • Youth of the Year – Chris Tamwoy
  • Apprentice of the Year – Ashley Farrall
  • Artist of the Year – Daren Dunn
  • Poster competition winner – Elaine Chambers
  • Caring for Country – Warddeken Caring for Country Project
  • Female Elder of the Year – Veronica Perrule Dobson
  • Male Elder of the Year – Graham Taylor
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Tauto Sansbury
  • Person of the Year – Rosalie Kunoth-Monks
  • Scholar of the Year – Michelle Deshong
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Ryan Morich

    2014 winners

  • Youth of the Year – Chern’ee Sutton
  • Youth of the Year – Amelia Telford
  • Apprentice of the Year – Patricia Doolan
  • Artist of the Year – Shellie Morris
  • Poster competition winner – Harry Alfred Pitt
  • Caring for Country – The Uunguu Healthy Country Project
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Linda Burney
  • Person of the Year – Gracelyn Smallwood
  • Female Elder of the Year – Patricia O'Connor
  • Male Elder of the Year – Richard Archibald
  • Scholar of the Year – Donisha Duff
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Jesse Williams

    2013 winners

  • Youth of the Year – Kate Malpass
  • Apprentice of the Year – Danny Bromot
  • Artist of the Year – Tony Briggs
  • Poster competition winner – Gail Naden
  • Caring for Country – Jimmy Edgar
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Galarrwuy Yunupingu
  • Person of the Year – Darryl Kickett
  • Female Elder of the Year – Rose Richards
  • Male Elder of the Year – John Hayden
  • Scholar of the Year – Dr Mark McMillan
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Johnathan Thurston

    2012 winners

  • Youth of the Year – Benson Saulo
  • Apprentice of the Year – Michael Clinch
  • Artist of the Year – Stephen Page
  • Poster competition winner – Juundaal Strang-Yettica
  • Caring for Country – Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Bunna Lawrie
  • Person of the Year – David Wirrpanda
  • Female Elder of the Year – Margaret Lawton
  • Female Elder of the Year – Maureen Kelly
  • Male Elder of the Year – Hezekiel Jingoonya
  • Scholar of the Year – Sarah Bourke
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Vanessa Wilson
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Joshua Robinson
  • Torres Strait Artist of the Year – Alick Tipoti

    2011 winners

  • Youth of the Year – Kiel Williams-Weigel
  • Apprentice of the Year – Joshua Toomey
  • Artist of the Year – Robyn Djunginy
  • Poster competition winner – Matthew Humphries
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Ned Cheedy
  • Caring for Country – Warru Recovery Team
  • Person of the Year – Terri Janke
  • Female Elder of the Year – Carolyn Briggs
  • Male Elder of the Year – Eldridge Mosby
  • Scholar of the Year – Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Preston Campbell