NIFA 2026 | WINNERS ANNOUNCED
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Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) is proud to announce the seven recipients of this year’s prestigious National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA). Congratulations to each of the award winners and to each of the outstanding nominees!
Tonight, Wednesday 5 August 2026, we have celebrated seven years of the NIFA. We have celebrated innovation. Creativity. Leadership. Community. Culture. And excellence. But we’ve also celebrated something bigger.
Twenty years of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation creating opportunities for First Nations artists, designers and communities.
Twenty years of investing in cultural futures. And twenty years of proving that when First Nations people lead, extraordinary things happen.
To every nominee, finalist and winner tonight — thank you. You continue to inspire future generations and demonstrate the power of Indigenous design on a global stage.
A huge thank you to our event partners: QIC, Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program, travel sponsor Nautilus Aviation and generous supporters Terri Layman and Michael Sitzler for making this night possible. Thank you to our Principal Media Partner NITV and Ticketing Partner Darwin Fringe Festival.
Thank you to our award partners: Canberra Centre, QIC, Pacific Werribee, Country Road, RMIT University, Desart and Franchesca Cubillo.
Thank you to our incredible host Megan Waters, to Nicole Brown for a powerful Welcome to Larrakia Country, to Merrepen Arts for the stunning fabrics on stage, and to our guest speaker Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians.
Thank you also to our panel of esteemed judges: Julie Shaw – Founder and Creative Director of MAARA Collective, Lindyn Rowland – Founder and Creative Director of Rowland Vision, and Lisa Friedl – Creative Director of Country Road.
And the NIFA 2026 Winners are:
Traditional Adornment Award
Michelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni, Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association
supported by Desart
Business Achievement Award
KAFTA (Kimberley Aboriginal Fashion Textiles Art)
supported by Canberra Centre
Wearable Art Award
Lucy Simpson, Gaawaa Miyay Designs
supported by Pacific Werribee
Community Collaboration Award
Bábbarra Women’s Centre x Tharangini Studio
supported by QIC
Textile Design Award
Lillardia Briggs-Houston
supported by RMIT University
Fashion Designer Award
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
supported by Country Road
Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award
Jake Powers
supported by Franchesca Cubillo
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Fashion Designer Award
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
Supported by
About the Award
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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Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award
Jake Powers
Supported by
About the Award
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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Textile Design Award
Lillardia Briggs-Houston
Supported by
About the Award
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
Bábbarra Women’s Centre x Tharangini Studio
Supported by
About the Award
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
Michelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni, Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association
Supported by
About the Award
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
Lucy Simpson, Gaawaa Miyay Design
Supported by
About the Award
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
KAFTA (Kimberley Aboriginal Fashion Textiles Art)
Supported by
About the Award
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.
