Today the NAIDOC committee awarded the prestigious design award to an up and coming young Perth based designer and artist.
Proud Noongar and Saibai island man, Tyrown Waigana, took home the prize with his design depicting the Rainbow Serpent coming out of Dreamtime while addressing this year's theme 'Always Was, Always Will Be'.
“The Rainbow Serpent is represented by the snake and it forms the shape of Australia, which symbolises how it created our lands." The young artist explains. "The colour from the Rainbow Serpent is reflected on to the figure to display our connection to the Rainbow Serpent, thus our connection to country. The overlapping colours on the outside is the Dreamtime.”
Tyrown Waigana, a Perth based artist and designer, has been named as this year’s winner of the prestigious National NAIDOC Poster Competition Source: Supplied
“The figure inside the shape of Australia is a representation of Indigenous Australians showing that this country - since the dawn of time - always was, and always will be Aboriginal land,” Mr Waigana added.
Committee Co-Chairs Pat Thompson and John Paul Janke congratulated Mr Waigana on his winning entry.
'Shape of Land' by Tyrown Waigana is the winning design in the 2020 National NAIDOC poster design awards. Source: Supplied
“This year’s competition attracted a staggering 270 entries nationally who responded to the 2020 NAIDOC theme. It was a challenging task for the Committee to choose a single winner from such a huge range of remarkable entries and we thank everyone who submitted an entry."
The winner receives a $10,000 cash prize and has their winning artwork displayed on the 2020 National NAIDOC Poster, of which 100,000 copies are printed and displayed across the country in schools, Uni's, Government departments and shopping centres.
Mr Waigana, who has a BA in Design and his own business, Crawlin Crocodile, says that art and design is his calling.
“My passion for art and design comes from an early age and my goal is to make a living of being an artist and take on exciting new creative projects.”
“I love to learn new techniques and platforms I can create on,” he said.
The NAIDOC Council has also announced a new date for the annual celebration to protect the health and safety of communities and their elders from the potential risk of Covid-19.
November 8th-15th will be the official 2020 celebration week. In a media statement the National NAIDOC Committee said that they were working closely with communities during this time and that further announcements would be made shortly.
"The NNC understands that the original July dates for NAIDOC Week may still be acknowledged by communities and organisations. We strongly encourage that those events be staged in a COVID safe way to continue to protect the most susceptible in our communities."
"Further announcements regarding the National NAIDOC Awards and a new NAIDOC Local Grants Round for 2020 will be made within coming weeks."
We acknowledge the commitment and tireless work of the many State, Territory, regional and local NAIDOC Committees, organisations and individuals whose passion each year makes NAIDOC Week an outstanding success."
