Deadline: 16-Sep-2025
Creative Australia has opened nominations for the 2026 Red Ochre Awards, inviting submissions for senior First Nations artists and cultural workers. These prestigious awards honour individuals who have made a lifetime contribution to First Nations arts and culture, both nationally and internationally, and who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and advocacy within their communities.
The awards are presented in two categories. The first is the Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Artistic Excellence, which recognises outstanding lifelong contributions to artistic practice. Two recipients will be awarded $60,000 each. The second is the Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cultural Advocacy and Leadership, also offering two awards of $60,000 each to senior First Nations arts leaders or cultural workers who have shown outstanding dedication to cultural leadership and advocacy.
To be eligible to nominate someone, an individual must be over 18 and reside in Australia. Nominations can also be submitted by First Nations or non-First Nations arts, cultural, or community organisations based in Australia. Nominees must be senior First Nations artists or arts and cultural workers living in Australia, with a demonstrable record of artistic or cultural achievement at both national and international levels. Self-nominations are not accepted, and nominees must be living at the time of nomination.
Creative Australia’s First Nations Board will assess nominations based on two primary criteria. The first focuses on community, arts, and cultural impact, including the nominee’s significance to First Nations arts and culture, inspiration to the community, level of recognition, engagement, and accessibility. The second considers the nominee’s artistic practice and leadership, such as their contribution to the development of First Nations arts, the quality and longevity of their work, and peer recognition.
Applications must include the nominee’s CV or extended biography, samples of their work, and up to four letters of support. Support materials can be submitted as URLs or file attachments and may include video, audio, images, or written documents. URLs can include up to 10 minutes of multimedia content, 10 images, and 10 pages of written material. If URLs are not an option, applicants can upload files in accepted formats such as MP4, MP3, PowerPoint, JPEG, MS Word, and PDF.
For more information, visit Creative Australia.
