Three budding Territory artists have been announced as category winners in the inaugural NAIDOC poster competition, an initiative of the Department of Education.
An additional six regional winners were also announced.
Young artists, from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal backgrounds at NT government schools in early, primary, middle and senior years, were invited to paint what the 2024 NAIDOC theme “Keep the Fire Burning: Blak, Loud and Proud!” means to them.
Entries were received from students across the Territory, including Yulara, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Mutijulu and Darwin.
Winners will each receive vouchers for their school to purchase art supplies, with Category Winners receiving a $500 voucher and Regional Winners a $200 voucher.
Department of Education Chief Executive Karen Weston said the competition gave students an opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture and amplify their knowledge through art.
“The competition has helped raise awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s culture and provided students with an opportunity to showcase their talents.
“The quality of artwork our students have created is astonishing, we have some incredibly talented young people in the Territory.
“I found judging incredibly difficult!”
One Category Winner was a Year 1 student from tiny Neutral Junction School in the Barkly, with just 9 students enrolled. Principal Ruth Rawnsley was ecstatic that her young pupil’s talent had been recognised.
Another Category Winner was created by multiple students from Class 8.7 at Centralian Middle School. The painting depicts a black cockatoo because ‘it is a liberating energy, teaching us to express ourselves emotionally and truthfully for change’.
Winners’ artwork will be promoted through the Department’s Facebook page and displayed within the Darwin Mitchell Centre building.
The Department of Education plan to hold the NAIDOC poster competition annually.
NAIDOC Week in 2024 is from Sunday 7 July to Sunday 14 July, and celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
