Nominator’s Eligibility 

The nominator can be any of the following: 

• An individual over 18 years of age and a residing in Australia.
• A First Nations arts, cultural or community organisation based in Australia.
• A Non-First Nations arts, cultural or community organisations based in Australia. 

Nominee Eligibility: 

The nominee must: 

• Be a First Nations Senior artist or arts and cultural worker residing in Australia.
• Have a history of lifetime artist and cultural achievements that can be evidenced on a national and international platform 

Please note: Senior artists may not nominate themselves, and nominations may only be made for nominees that are living artists.  

If you need advice about your nomination, contact Project Manager, Tammy Close at 02 9215 9145 or at tammy.close@creative.gov.au. 

The Red Ochre Awards Nominations will be assessed by Creative Australia’s First Nations Board against the following criteria: 

1. First Nations Community, Arts and Culture 

• Significance of the contribution to First Nations arts and cultural expression.
• Inspire First Nations community to keep culture strong.
• First Nations community recognition.
• Impact of engagement and practice, the span of influence and contribution to the First Nations community.
• Ensuring their practice is accessible to the First Nations community. 

2. Arts Practice and Leadership 

• Substantial contribution to the development of First Nations arts nationally and internationally.
• Artistic practice maintained over a significant period of time.
• Outstanding body of work.
• Industry and peer recognition and acknowledgment.
• Significance of the work within the area of practice.
• Contribution to diverse cultural expression. 

Please note: You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed. 

You must provide:  

• The nominees CV/extended bio 
• Samples of the nominee's work 
• Up to four letters of support  

Support material can be provided as URLs (web links) and attachments. You can submit up to three URLs, which may include video, audio, images, and written material. 

URLs can include a total of: 
• 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording 
• 10 images 
• 10 pages of written material (for example, excerpts of literary writing). 

See further information on how to submit URLs as support material. 

If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material with your application in the following formats: 

• Video (MP4 and Windows Media) 
• Audio (MP3 and Windows Media) 
• Images (Slideshow in MS PowerPoint (preferred) or JPEG) 
• Written material (MS Word and PDF) 

Please note: We do not accept application-related support material submitted via post. Application-related material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender.  

If you think you will have difficulty submitting your support material online, please Project Manager, Tammy Close at 02 9215 9145 or at tammy.close@creative.gov.au. 

How to submit a nomination 

To nominate you must be registered in our  Application Management System a minimum of two business days prior to the closing date.

Once you have logged into the Application Management System: 

1. Choose the First Nations Awards Application link.

2.select ‘Submit a Nomination’ from the left panel menu.

3. under ‘Awards’ select ‘Start a new award nomination’.

4. ensure you select the correct award from the list of options.

5. complete the fields and select answers using the dropdown menus.

6. upload any necessary support material.

7. select ‘Save’ once complete.

8. if you are not ready to submit your nomination you can return to it through ‘Your Draft Applications’ in the left panel menu.

9. when you are ready to submit your nomination, select ‘Submit’. 

To nominate, log in to our Application Management System. You must register an account if you do not already have one. It may take up to two business days for us to process your registration. Once you have logged in:

1. Click on ‘Apply for a Grant' on the left panel menu.

2. Scroll until you find the 'First Nations Awards 2026' and click on 'Click here to nominate a First Nations artist or organisation for a First Nations Awards.'

3. Begin filling out your application.

4. In the 'Choose Award' section, select from the Award category you would like to make your nomination for and add their nominee's information.

5. Make sure you keep the Awards Guidelines handy when filling out the section, 'About Your Nomination'.

6. Upload any necessary support material via URL's and attachments.

7. Select ‘Save’ so you don't lose any of your work, and click on 'Edit' to continue filling out the application.

8. If you are not ready to submit your nomination you can return to it through ‘Your Draft Applications’ in the left panel menu

9. When you have completed the application and are ready to submit your nomination, select ‘Submit’.