National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award

The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) is one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia. Established in 1984 by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and awarded annually, it is sponsored by Telstra, so is commonly known as the Telstra Award. Prize-winners include Ngoia Napaltjarri Pollard and Dorothy Napangardi.

The competition is open to all adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, with the aim of showcasing the best Indigenous art from around the country.

The first prize of $40,000 is awarded to the work considered the most outstanding in the exhibition. Additional prizes of $4,000 each are awarded in four media categories.

The five categories in which prizes are awarded are:

• the Telstra Award (previously called the First Prize)
• the Telstra General Painting Award
• the Telstra Bark Painting Award
• the Telstra Work on Paper Award
• the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award (sponsored by Telstra)

The exhibition features artists from all over Australia, focusing on a wide range of themes, styles and media including paintings on bark, canvas and paper, prints, sculpture, fibre art, ceramics, glass, photography, digital media and video.

The Award is an important showcase for both established and emerging artists and has come to be regarded as the premier national event in the Australian Indigenous art calendar.

Telstra has sponsored the Award since 1992. In 2000, they doubled the First Prize money from $20,000 to $40,000 making it the highest amount offered for any Indigenous art award.

There have also been two travelling exhibitions, in 2000 and 2003, enabling around 40 - 50 selected works to be shown in regional galleries around Australia, promoting the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art to a wide audience across the country.

List of winners

No.	Year	Artist(s)	Name of work	Other notable artists exhibited	References
28th	2011	Dickie Minyintiri	Kanyalakutjina (Euro tracks)		[1]
27th	2010	Mr Donegan	Papa Tjukurpa and Pukara		[2]
26th	2009	Danie Mellor	From Rite to Ritual		[3]
25th	2008	Makinti Napanangka	no title		[4][5]
24th	2007	Dennis Nona	Ubirikubiri
23rd	2006	Ngoia Napaltjarri Pollard	Swamps west of Nyirripi		[6]
22nd	2005	Blackstone Tjanpi Weavers (Kantjupayi Benson, N. Donegan (dec'd), Angaliya Mitchell, Margaret Donegan, Melissa Donegan, Mary Smith, Freda Lane, Diedre Lane, Elaine Lane, Wendy Lane, Janet Lane, Janet Forbes, Shirley Bennet, Gail, Angela Lyon, Sarkaway Lyon, Ruby Forbes, Jean Lane)	Tjanpi Grass Toyota
21st	2004	Gulumbu Yunupinguu	Garak, The Universe
20th	2003	Richard Bell	Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell’s Theorem)		[7]
19th	2002	Gawirrin Gumana	Birrkuda Ringgitji Hollow Log
18th	2001	Dorothy Napangardi	Salt on Mina Mina
17th	2000	Barbara Napangarti Reid		Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[8]
16th	1999	Long Tom Tjapanangka	Ulampuwarra (Haasts Bluff Mountain)
15th	1998	Jody Broun	"White Fellas Come Talk About the Land"	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[9]
14th	1997
13th	1996	Kathleen Petyarre			[10]
12th	1995			Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[11]
11th	1994
10th	1993	Paddy Fordham Wainburranga	Eagle Hawk and Crow	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[12]
9th	1992
8th	1991
7th	1990
6th	1989	Pansy Napangardi			[13]
5th	1988
4th	1987
3rd	1986
2nd	1985
1st	1984

References

1. ^ "28th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)". Northern Territory Government, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/. Retrieved 2011-09-07. 
2. ^ "27th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)". Northern Territory Government, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/27natsiaa.html. Retrieved 2011-09-07. 
3. ^ "26th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)". Northern Territory Government, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
4. ^ "Makinti Napanangka wins top Indigenous art prize". ABC News. 2008-08-16. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/16/2337310.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-06. 
5. ^ "25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)". Northern Territory Government, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/25/index.html. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
6. ^ "Winner Telstra Award". 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. 2006. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/23natsiaa.html. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
7. ^ "20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)". Northern Territory Government, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/exhibitions/natsiaa/pdf/2003natsiaa.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
8. ^ Strocchi, Marina (2008). "Daisy Napaltjarri Jugadai (art tribute)". Art and Australia 46 (1): 61. 
9. ^ Birnberg & Kreczmanski, pp. 213–214.
10. ^ Birnberg & Kreczmanski.
11. ^ Birnberg & Kreczmanski, pp. 213–214.
12. ^ Johnson, Vivien (1994). Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert: A Biographical Dictionary. Roseville East, NSW: Craftsman House. p. 116. 
13. ^ Birnberg & Kreczmanski.

Bibliography

• Birnberg, Margo; Janusz Kreczmanski (2004). Aboriginal Artist Dictionary of Biographies: Australian Western, Central Desert and Kimberley Region. Marleston, South Australia: J.B. Publishing. ISBN 1-876622-47-4. 

External links

• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory