Celebrating the Innovation of Australia’s First Nations Peoples in Fashion and Textiles.
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The National Indigenous Fashion Awards Return
Who will you nominate this year?
This year, the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) return to Larrakia Country, bringing a global spotlight to the breathtaking innovation of Australia’s First Nations peoples.
Since its debut in 2020, the NIFA has grown into more than just an awards ceremony; it is a vibrant heartbeat for the industry. It’s a place where the world’s oldest living cultures meet contemporary high fashion, creating a space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to lead the conversation on ethical practice, textile innovation, and sovereign storytelling.
The NIFA is proudly presented by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) Foundation’s Indigenous Fashion Projects, and supported by Presenting, Showcase and Designer Travel Partner QIC, Principal Media Partner NITV and Award Partners: QIC, Pacific Werribee, Canberra Centre, Country Road, Franchesca Cubillo, Desart and RMIT.
The NIFA is a cornerstone of the Australian fashion calendar and a critical platform for capacity building and First Nations empowerment.
The prestigious awards recognise excellence across several areas:
Community Collaboration Award
supported by QIC
Textile Design Award
supported by RMIT University
Fashion Designer Award
supported by Country Road
Traditional Adornment Award
supported by Desart
Business Achievement Award
supported by Canberra Centre
Wearable Art Award
supported by Pacific Werribee
Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award
supported by Franchesca Cubillo
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What you need to know.
Anyone – even YOU – can make a nomination.
This is a great time to put forward some of your favourite First Nations designers, creatives, Art Centres and businesses – and recognise their outstanding achievements and contributions in fashion and textiles. That dress you were eyeing off at fashion week, or that brand you follow on Instagram – now is the time to let them know how much you love their work.
And to our amazing community of First Nations creatives – don’t be shy – as well as nominating your peers, you can also nominate yourself!
Note that you can also nominate someone for multiple NIFA categories, ie. you may nominate them for the Fashion Designer Award AND the Business Achievement Award. Each nomination however will need to be completed as a separate form.
NIFA Showcase Tour, Supported by QIC
Selected 2026 NIFA winners and nominees will have the opportunity to tour their designs at two QIC centres; Canberra Centre (ACT) and Pacific Werribee (VIC), supported by QIC. We thank QIC for partnering with us to celebrate, showcase and elevate our winners, along with the incredible talent and work shaping First Nations fashion and textile design.
Nominations closed on 16 March 2026.
Shortlisted nominees will be notified by May.
To discuss your application, please contact IFP@daaf.com.au
Learn about each category below.
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Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award
Supported by
Named in honour of Franchesca Cubillo’s Mother, the Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award recognises an outstanding young person between the ages of 15-25 years, who is excelling in their community and or the broader industry in the area of fashion, textile design, modelling, styling, wearable art, adornment/jewellery or fashion related role.
The Award Considers:
– Leadership and advocacy
– Role modelling and mentoring
– Innovation and creativity
– Entrepreneurship and business
– Commitment to learning and developing practice
– An individual journey
The Prize:
The winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize.
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Fashion Designer Award
Supported by
Since 2020, Country Road has been the proud presenter of the NIFA Fashion Designer Award. The award recognises an individual designer of original fashion apparel who has excelled both creatively and commercially.
The Award Considers:
– Excellence in fashion design
– Styling and product quality and originality
– Commercial capability (has created a minimum of two commercial collections)
– Cultural expression and storytelling
– Environmental and social contribution
The Prize:
The winner will receive a $5,000 prize or a 12-month industry mentorship with Country Road. The mentorship program is tailored to the needs and focus areas defined by the mentee, covering areas such as marketing, product development, sales and finance, and sustainability.
A $5,000 cash prize is offered as an alternative to the mentorship, where the mentee requires investment in business-related travel, capital, or operational expenses.
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Textile Design Award
Supported by
Indigenous textile design holds deep meaning and continues to push the boundaries of contemporary First Nations cultures. It is a medium that offers freedom, where the use of the vibrant colours in textile design is represented in new expressions of old stories, which enable artists to stretch their imagination.
Presented by RMIT University, this award celebrates and recognises an individual designer of textiles, including woven, knitted, dyed, printed or surface ornamented constructions.
The Award Considers:
– Excellence in textile design
– Innovation and originality
– Quality of craft; print, dye or surface ornamentation (where applicable)
– Cultural expression and storytelling
– Environmental and social contribution
The Prize:
The winner of the Textile Design Award will receive a customised Textile Design Professional Development undertaken with globally recognised RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles, ranked among the Business of Fashion’s The Best Fashion Schools in the World. The prize is tailored to the winning artist’s requirements.
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Community Collaboration Award
Supported by
This award recognises strong, two-way relationships between First Nations communities and the textile and fashion industry, where social and economic benefits flow to communities, and where First Nations peoples’ agency in the collaboration process is front and centre. The award celebrates effective and productive relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the textile and fashion industry.
The Award Considers:
– Demonstration of collaborative process
– Demonstration of Indigenous agency in the collaboration process
– Cultural expression and storytelling
– Social and economic contribution to Indigenous communities
– Originality & Innovation
The Prize:
A $10,000 cash prize to be split between each collaborator, supported by QIC.
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Traditional Adornment Award
Supported by
For tens of thousands of years First Nations Peoples from around the continent have celebrated their cultures through traditional dress. This Award recognises an individual or group for the design of items that are created and worn to define or express culture. This award aims to encourage the creation and acknowledgement of traditional cultural regalia.
The Award Considers:
– Quality of construction
– Expression of living culture, traditional practice and story telling
– Contribution to the recognition and preservation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture
The Prize:
The winning artist will receive a $3000 cash prize from Desart.
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Wearable Art Award
Supported by
The Wearable Art Award celebrates design, artistry, construction, wearability and cultural expression, recognising an individual designer for the creation of a single (not a collection) worn item of clothing, accessory or piece of jewellery that demonstrates excellence in design, craft and artistic expression.
The Award Considers:
– Design quality, originality and artistic merit
– Cultural expression and storytelling
– Quality of construction, wearability and/or performance potential
– Environmental and social contribution
The Prize:
The winning artist will receive a $5000 cash prize from Pacific Werribee.
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Business Achievement Award
Supported by
This award recognises an individual or group, and celebrates leadership in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business showing both creative and commercial success in textiles and fashion, and positively impacting the Indigenous fashion sector.
The Award Considers:
– Business innovation
– Product or service quality
– Environmental and social contribution
– Brand development and marketing
– Cultural expression and storytelling
– Impact on the Australian Indigenous fashion sector
The Prize:
The winner of the Business Achievement Award will receive a $5000 cash prize, supported by Canberra Centre.
Photography by Marley Morgan, Michael Jalaru Torres
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SAVE THE DATE
5 August, 2026
The NIFA 2026 will return to Larrakia Country this August alongside the renowned Country to Couture runway (2-3 August) and Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (6-9 August).
More details and ticket sales to be announced.
