NAIDOC Awards facts for kids
The NAIDOC Awards are special yearly awards given to amazing Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These awards are part of NAIDOC Week, a big national celebration. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. The name NAIDOC comes from the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
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About the NAIDOC Committee
The awards are named after the group that first organized NAIDOC Week. This group is called the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Every year, a different city in Australia hosts the main NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. The National NAIDOC Committee chooses the host city, the design for the NAIDOC Poster, and the people who will receive awards. The awards are given out at a special ceremony and ball each year.
Award Categories
The names of the award categories have changed a bit over time. In 1985, they started giving awards for "Aboriginal of the Year" and for young Aboriginal people aged 12 to 25.
As of 2022, the awards are given in these categories:
- Person of the Year: Recognizes an outstanding individual.
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors someone who has made a huge difference over many years.
- Female Elder Award: Celebrates an inspiring older Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander woman.
- Male Elder Award: Celebrates an inspiring older Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander man.
- Sportsperson Award: For an excellent athlete.
- Youth Award: For a young person (12-25 years old) who is a great role model.
- Creative Talent Award: For someone talented in arts, music, or performance.
- Caring for Country and Culture Award: For people who protect land, water, and cultural traditions.
- Education Award: For someone who has made a big impact in education.
- Innovation Award: For someone who has created new and exciting ideas or projects.
The NAIDOC Poster
The very first NAIDOC poster was made in 1972. It was created to promote "Aborigines Day." This day was part of a campaign to get better rights for Aboriginal people. The posters often showed a spirit of protest until 1977, with messages like "Self Determination."
In 1978, the poster changed. It showed a shift from a single day of protest to a week-long celebration in July. This happened after the new NAIDOC committee was formed. The 1988 poster, titled "Recognise and Share the Survival of the Oldest Culture in the World," showed the name change to NAIDOC. This change formally included Torres Strait Islander people in the event. In the 1990s, a competition began for people to design the yearly poster.
Recent NAIDOC Award Winners
Here are some of the recent winners of the NAIDOC Awards. These people have made amazing contributions to their communities and to Australia.
2025 Winners
The winners for 2025 are:
- 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
The winners for 2024 are:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Aunty Dulcie Flower
- Person Award: Aunty Muriel Bamblett
- Female Elder Award: Aunty Millie Ingram
- Male Elder Award: Mr Kim Collard
- Sportsperson Award: Alex Winwood
- Youth Award: Dante Rodrigues
- Creative Talent Award: Naarah
- Caring for Country and Culture Award: Alick Tipoti
- Education Award: Warlpiri Education and Training Trust
- Innovation Award: Tui Nolan
2023 Winners
The winners for 2023 are:
- Lifetime Achievement: Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM
- Person of the Year: Professor Kelvin Kong
- Female Elder of the Year Award: Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams
- Male Elder of the Year: William Tilmouth
- Sportsperson of the Year: Donnell Wallam
- Youth of the Year: Courtney Burns
- Creative Talent: Rachel Perkins
- Caring for Country and Culture: Lala Gutchen
- Education Award: Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre
- Innovation Award: Daniel Motlop
2022 Winners
The awards ceremony for 2022 was held in Melbourne on July 2, 2022. The winners are:
- Person of the Year: Ash Barty AO
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Stan Grant Snr AM
- Female Elder Award: Lois Peeler AM
- 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. They were recognized for their great work helping people after the big floods in Lismore in March 2022.
2021 Winners
The 2021 National NAIDOC Awards ceremony was planned for Alice Springs (Mparntwe) but was cancelled. An alternative event was planned for July 3, 2021, at the Sydney Opera House. However, this was also postponed because Sydney went into a COVID-19 lockdown. The winners were finally announced on December 1, 2021. The winners are:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Pat O'Shane AM
- 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
See also
