NAIDOC Week 2022 will be celebrated from the 3 -10 of July 2022 across Australia.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held on the first week of July each year and provides the opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s achievements, resilience, histories and rich cultures – as the oldest continuing living culture on the planet for over 65,000 years.
MND NSW acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Country across NSW, ACT and NT on which we work and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We make mention of the Wallumdegal or Wattumatagal people of the Eora Nation, where our main office is located and pay our respects to Elders past and present
This year the theme around the week is ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’ which is striving to continue the momentum for change and to keep rallying around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—we must do it together. More information about this year’s theme can be found here.
Awards
As a part of the celebrations, each year there is an award ceremony which aims to recognise and acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make to improve the lives of people in their communities and beyond.
These awards include:
- 2022 National NAIDOC Person Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement
- 2022 National NAIDOC Female Elder Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Male Elder
- 2022 National NAIDOC Sportsperson
- 2022 National NAIDOC Youth Award
In 2022, there were also four new categories:
- 2022 National NAIDOC Creative Talent Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Caring for Country and Culture Award
- 2022 National NAIDOC Education
- 2022 National NAIDOC Innovation Award
Visit Winner Profiles to see all the past and current National NAIDOC Award winners.
Events
Throughout the week there are several events that are held across the country to celebrate NAIDOC Week. You can find events in your local area here.
Media
Across NAIDOC Week, Netflix, NITV/SBS, and ABC iView have a wide variety of award-winning TV shows, movies, documentaries, and exciting new and live content to watch.
The titles being highlighted during NAIDOC Week include: My Name is Gulpilil, In My Blood It Runs, Mabo, The Australian Dream, Freeman, Mystery Road, Charlie’s Country, Rabbit Proof Fence and many more.
For the full list, please see: Netflix, SBS, ABC or iView.
Ryhia Dank, a young Gudanji/Wakaja artist from the Northern Territory is the winner of the
prestigious National NAIDOC poster competition for 2022 with her entry, Stronger.
Map of Indigenous Australia
The AIATSIS map serves as a visual reminder of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. It was created in 1996 as part of the Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia project and attempts to show language, social or nation groups based on published sources available up to 1994. View the map here.
Gambay: a map of Australia’s first languages
First Languages Australia in partnership with local language centres across Australia have developed an interactive map to display and promote the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
The map, titled Gambay, translates to "together" in the Butchulla language of the Hervey Bay region in Queensland. Gambay showcases over 780 languages and you can view the interactive map here.
Welcome to Country
‘Welcome to Country’ is your guide to experiencing Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Australia and gives you access to accommodation, art and culture, attractions, tours and much more.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses creates real positive social, cultural and economic outcomes for artists, families and communities. Booking an experience or buying an ethical product ‘puts money into our pockets and into our communities - we are closing the gap ourselves’ explains Aboriginal artist Mick Harding from Ngarga Warendj Dancing Wombat. To find out more, head to the website.
Fashion
This NAIDOC Week is all about getting up, standing up and showing up and the role of fashion is doing exactly that—whether it’s about wearing a slogan tee to a protest or choosing to buy from an Indigenous-owned fashion brand. Fashion, after all, is a powerful conduit for social change.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are home to inspiring brands that are creating sustainable, socially conscious and fashionable clothing and you can read about a snapshot of brands here: 10 Indigenous-Owned Menswear Brands Empowering First Nations Communities - GQ (please note: many of these brands also produce clothing for women and children)
