Creative Australia has announced the recipients of the 2026 First Nations Arts and Culture Awards.

Presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney on 27 May, the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum and the beginning of National Reconciliation Week, this year’s ceremony also revealed the establishment of a new award category dedicated to the memory of Rhoda Roberts.  To be presented for the first time in 2027, the Rhoda Roberts Trailblazer Award will celebrate an individual who has had an outstanding impact on First Nations arts and culture.

The 2026 First Nations Arts and Culture Award Winners: John Harvey, Letisha Ackland, Maurial Spearim, Dr Bronwyn Bancroft, Stephen Pigram, Hayley Millar Baker, Hetti Kemarre Perkins, Dr Djambawa Marawili. Photo © Stephen Wilson Barker

The Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Artistic Excellence has been awarded to Dr Bronwyn Bancroft and Stephen Pigram.

Brownyn Bancroft is a Bundjalung artist and activist. She was one of the first three Indigenous fashion designers to have been shown in Paris, and her works are displayed in international and national institutions including the National Gallery of Australia and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. As an illustrator for...