Winner

Mayor of Ipswich, Teresa Harding, presenting Colleen Sam and Katherine Hoepper with the award for Griffith University Art Museum. Photograph by Sarah Marshall, Jiriki Media. Courtesy of Museums & Galleries Queensland.

State Library of Queensland

The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons

The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons was a landmark First Nations-led exhibition developed through a genuine partnership between the State Library of Queensland and the Sam family to share four generations of Kalkadoon oral history.

Through newly commissioned artworks, digital stories, immersive media and historical research, the exhibition traces the resilience, survival and enduring connection to Country of the Kalkadoon people despite the impacts of frontier violence and displacement. Co-designed over 18 months, with cultural authority remaining firmly with the family, the project created a meaningful space for truth-telling, learning and healing.

By centring First Nations voices, knowledge and lived experience, The unbroken spirit of the Kalkadoons demonstrates the transformative potential of community-led storytelling.

Highly Commended

Mayor of Ipswich, Teresa Harding, presenting Leanne Kelly, Hannah Williamson and Brenda Mau with the Highly Commended presentation for City of Moreton Bay & Munimba-ja Arts Centre. Photograph by Sarah Marshall, Jiriki Media. Courtesy of Museums & Galleries Queensland.

City of Moreton Bay & Munimba-ja Arts Centre

Blak Creatives Exchange 2025

City of Moreton Bay Galleries is recognised as a Highly Commended recipient for Blak Creatives Exchange, an innovative professional development initiative that places First Nations leadership at the centre of exhibition development and storytelling.

Created through a partnership between Munimba-ja’s Blak Creatives Program and City of Moreton Bay Galleries, the program moved beyond consultation to a model of shared vision and leadership. Five emerging First Nations artists were empowered to curate, design and deliver an exhibition using works from the City of Moreton Bay Art Collection, gaining hands-on experience across the full exhibition lifecycle while building professional skills, confidence and industry networks.

The resulting exhibition, Living Archive: Blak Resistance and Joy, showcased the strength of culturally responsive, First Nations-led collaboration, creating meaningful outcomes for participating artists while influencing how stories are told within cultural organisations.

Finalist

Mayor of Ipswich, Teresa Harding, presenting Emma Collerton and Kerryanne Farrer with the Finalist presentation for Redland Art Gallery. Photograph by Sarah Marshall, Jiriki Media. Courtesy of Museums & Galleries Queensland.

Redland Art Gallery

CREATE EXCHANGE: Three-Year Artist Residency and Activation Project

Redland Art Gallery was named a finalist in this GAMAA category for CREATE EXCHANGE, an ambitious three-year artist residency, exhibition and community engagement program that champions First Nations cultural leadership and collaborative practice. The initiative placed Quandamooka artists and knowledge holders at the centre of every stage of the creative process, from exhibition development and mentoring to publishing and public programming.

Celebrating the richness and diversity of contemporary Quandamooka culture, CREATE EXCHANGE featured major projects by Sonja Carmichael and Elisa Jane Carmichael, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins and Dean Biŋkin Tyson.

Through its commitment to partnerships and cultural authority, Redland Art Gallery’s CREATE EXCHANGE demonstrates how sustained investment in First Nations-led practice can create meaningful and lasting benefits for artists, communities and the broader cultural sector.