MEET OUR NIFA 2020 PARTNERS
- Combined prize value of over $60,000, to include support and development opportunities, travel and cash.
- Nominations have been considered by a representative judging panel from the Indigenous arts sector, and the textiles and fashion industry.
PRESENTING PARTNER
The National Indigenous Fashion Awards is proudly brought to you by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation and is sponsored by the Northern Territory Government.
CULTURAL ADORNMENT AND WEARABLE ART AWARD
This category recognises worn items that are created as fine or expressive art and that are used to define or express culture.
Prize: Includes $5000 cash, plus the opportunity for the piece to be acquired for a public institution
The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation is proud to sponsor the Cultural Adornment and Wearable Art Award. They recognise that wearable art and cultural adornment creates a modern way to acknowledge the remarkable and ancient practice of body design and ceremony which has danced its way across this country for millennia.
– Claire Summers, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, Executive Director
TEXTILE DESIGN AWARD
Includes designs of woven, knitted or other textile constructions as well as dyed, printed or surface ornamented textiles.
Prize: Includes technical and design training either in community, at place of work, in an education institution, industry organisation, or a combination of these. Includes an allowance for travel and materials.
This prize supports the emergence of new textile design. A moment for us to weave together the established style of RMIT’s textile design, and experience in the contemporary and global textile design industry, with those designers who are fresh yet steeped in the traditional practices of 65000 years of culture. The award will enable the sharing of knowledge and connect us in a way we can only imagine. It offers a coming together of textile stories and understandings, and an opportunity to explore a bright and shared future.
–School of Fashion and Textiles and Ngarara Willim centre, RMIT University
Ross Bonthorne has generously supported the travel bursary associated with this training. He believes that the notion of excellence in textile design is a critical thing to encourage the artists themselves. It’s more than just printing onto fabric, it’s about design at the highest standard. Textile design needs to be acknowledged as an art form. I want to be able to contribute towards the acknowledgment and recognition of the great work that is being achieved.
“We see art and culture as absolutely integral to the social and economic wellbeing of remote communities which is why we have contributed funding towards DAAF, the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards and are proud to sponsor the Community Collaboration Award”.
–Northern Territory Government Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD
This category recognises excellence and leadership in environmental and social development understanding, and practice in relation to textiles and fashion.
Prize: Includes two tickets to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit with a travel allowance of $5,000.
“The Northern Land Council is proud to sponsor the Environmental and Social Contribution award category, which promotes environmentally friendly fashion and projects that can create economic opportunities for our mob.”
-Northern Land Council
FASHION DESIGN AWARD
This category recognises a commercial fashion label with a minimum of 2 collections of original design of clothing, jewellery or accessories.
Prize: Includes industry mentorship and business support with a major Australian fashion company, travel within Australia to workshops and mentor sessions and a 1 year membership to the Australian Fashion Council.
Country Road is the Presenting Partner of the Fashion Design Award, which proudly celebrates the diverse perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and fashion designers.
-Country Road
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
This category recognises Demonstrable contribution to development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait textiles and fashion, culture advancement and expression, mentorship, leadership, long term contribution, and innovation.
Prize: $10,000 cash prize
“The National Indigenous Fashion Awards will help elevate Aboriginal textiles and design, spreading its global reach and ensuring that it grows and develops in its own right, opening up new avenues for jobs and economic prosperity for Aboriginal people”
–Northern Territory Government Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss
INDUSTRY PARTNER
“The Australian Fashion Council is proud to be an Industry Partner for the NIFA, recognising the amazing talent and achievement of Australia’s First Nations people across the fashion & textile industry, and creating opportunities for future business development and career pathways. We look forward to working with this year’s Fashion Design Award winner, and supporting their journey.”
MEDIA PARTNERS
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A Yarn with the 2020 NIFA Winners
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NIFA 2020 | Behind the Scenes
Image: The Bula'bula shoot, July 2020, photo by Hilary Crawford.NIFA 2020 | Behind the Scenes If you’ve watched the NIFA 2020 ceremony, then no doubt it’s brought on a smile and perhaps even a tear or two. If you haven’t spoiler alert! Save this read for later, and...