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	Medium	Other notable artists exhibited that year	References
30th	2013	Jenni Kemarre Martiniello	Golden Brown Reeds Fish Trap	Hot blown glass, canes	Mavis Ngallametta, Malaluba Gumana, Rhonda Sharpe, Teho Ropeyarn, Raymond Zada
29th	2012	Timothy Cook	Kulama	Natural ochres on canvas
28th	2011	Dickie Minyintiri	Kanyalakutjina (Euro tracks)	synthetic polymer paint on canvas		[1]
27th	2010	Jimmy Donegan	Papa Tjukurpa, Pukara	Synthetic polymer paint on canvas		[2]
26th	2009	Danie Mellor	From Rite to Ritual	Mixed media on paper		[3]
25th	2008	Makinti Napanangka	no title	synthetic polymer paint on linen		[4][5]
24th	2007	Dennis Nona	Ubirikubiri	cast bronze
23rd	2006	Ngoia Napaltjarri Pollard	Swamps west of Nyirripi	synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen		[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 Nelson, Angela Lyon, Sarkaway Lyon, Ruby Forbes, Jean Lane)	Tjanpi Grass Toyota	desert grass, jute string and mixed media
21st	2004	Gulumbu Yunupingu	Garak, The Universe	natural pigments on wood (three hollow logs)
20th	2003	Richard Bell	Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell’s Theorem)	synthetic polymer paint on canvas		[7]
19th	2002	Gawirrin Gumana	Birrkuda ringgitj (Wild honey design)	natural pigments on wood
18th	2001	Dorothy Napangardi	Salt on Mina Mina	synthetic polymer paint on linen	John Bulunbulun
17th	2000	Kenny Williams Tjampitjinpa	Snake Tjukurrpa	synthetic polymer paint on linen	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[8]
16th	1999	Long Tom Tjapanangka	Ulampuwarru (Haasts Bluff Mountain)	synthetic polymer paint on linen		[9]
15th	1998	Jody Broun	"White Fellas Come Talk About the Land"	synthetic polymer paint on canvas	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[10]
14th	1997	Yanggarriny Wunungmurra	Gangan	natural pigments on bark
13th	1996	Kathleen Petyarre	Storm in Atnangker country II	synthetic polymer paint on linen		[11]
12th	1995	Pantjiti Mary McLean	Ngura walkumunu (Being in a good camp)	synthetic polymer paint on canvas	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[10]
11th	1994	Daisy Andrews	Lumpu lumpu (wet time) landscape	synthetic polymer paint on paper
10th	1993	Paddy Fordham Wainburranga	Eagle Hawk and Crow	natural pigments on paper	Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri	[12]
9th	1992	Les Midikuria	Borlong the rainbow serpent	natural pigments on bark
8th	1991	Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri	Bandicoot Dreaming	synthetic polymer paint on canvas
7th	1990	Mutitjpuy Mununggurr	The Djang’kawu at Balana	natural pigments on bark
6th	1989	Pansy Napangardi	Yipala bush bananas	synthetic polymer paint on canvas		[11]
5th	1988	Pauleen Woods Nakamarra	Yarla, Yam Dreaming	synthetic polymer paint on canvas
4th	1987	Djardi Ashley Wodalpa	Blue tongue lizard	natural pigments on bark
3rd	1986	Frank Jakamarra Nelson	Living together, working together	synthetic polymer paint on canvas
2nd	1985	Three joint winners Djawida Nadjongorle. Uta Uta Tjangala. Kaye Haywood.	Nawurra. Tjanangkamurramurra. Untitled.	natural pigments on bark. synthetic polymer paint on canvas. batik on silk.
1st	1984	Michael Nelson Tjakamarra	Three ceremonies	synthetic polymer paint on canvas

References

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. 
• West, Margie (2000). Transitions: 17 years of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Darwin: Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. ISBN 0724546146. 

External links

• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
• List of NATSIAA awards Art Right Now - Thanks to Margie West for offering her list of early NATSIAA winners.
• Major Prize winners 1984 - 2011 Northern Territory Government - Department of Arts and Museums.