Creative Australia Rhoda Roberts Trailblazer Award 2027: A$80,000, Nominations by 10 November
A new national arts-leadership honour for 2027
Creative Australia has opened nominations for the first Rhoda Roberts Trailblazer Award, an A$80,000 honour to be presented during the First Nations Arts and Culture Awards on 27 May 2027. Nominations opened on 9 October 2026 and close on Tuesday 10 November at 3:00 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). The award recognises an Australian First Nations arts and cultural leader whose innovations have created durable opportunities for other artists and communities.
The award spans visual art, media, music, performance and interdisciplinary cultural practice, so experienced curators, visual-arts advocates, arts-centre leaders and cultural producers may be relevant nominees. It is not a commission to produce a new digital artwork or an open competition where an aspiring young artist self-submits a portfolio for a cash prize.
Nomination is by another person—not self-nomination
The nominator must be an individual aged 18 or older residing in Australia, or an organisation based in Australia. A nominee cannot nominate themselves. The nominated person must be an adult First Nations Australian (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander), be based in Australia, and have worked for at least 25 years across the First Nations arts and cultural sector as an established and highly regarded artist or cultural expert.
The awards also prohibit nominations of deceased individuals and limit each person to one category of the 2027 First Nations Arts and Culture Awards. Any nominator whose prior Creative Australia obligations include an overdue report or debt should examine the official exclusion rules. These criteria sharply distinguish the award from an unrestricted international visual-arts residency.
Register before the actual final day
Creative Australia requires nominators to register in its application management system **at least two business days before the nomination deadline**. Therefore, registering for the first time at 2:55 p.m. on 10 November may leave too little time to submit an eligible nomination. Organisers, art centres, community groups and colleagues should begin collecting the nominee's career documentation and consent early.
A nomination should demonstrate major contributions such as creating new platforms for First Nations creators, mentorship, cultural authority, policy changes, international connections and industry systems that support future generations. It should provide specific dated examples and long-term outcomes rather than relying on broad claims of reputation.
A$80,000 award is distinct from grant project budgets
The amount announced for the Rhoda Roberts Trailblazer Award is A$80,000. This is an award for the selected person, not an artist fee payable to every nominated candidate or a project budget made available upon registration. Nominations go through eligibility screening and assessment by a First Nations Industry Advisory Panel; up to six competitive nominations are then considered by Creative Australia's First Nations Board.
The assessment weighs long-term influence, innovation, cultural connection, collaboration, advocacy and demonstrated benefit to communities, not solely an applicant's personal exhibition history. A nominee with a distinguished art or media career must still satisfy the leadership and 25-year requirements described in the award-specific rules.
Organizer background and significance of Rhoda Roberts
Creative Australia is Australia's national arts investment and development agency and administers the broader First Nations Arts and Culture Awards. This newly added category honours the late Rhoda Roberts AO, a Widjabul Wia-bal woman of the Bundjalung Nation who helped develop major First Nations cultural initiatives across broadcasting, theatre, festivals and policy. The official website records both her achievements and the reasons the award was created.
Official eligibility, nomination system and assessment process: https://creative.gov.au/investments-opportunities/rhoda-roberts-trailblazer-award . Enquiries: tammy.close@creative.gov.au, +61 (02) 9215 9145. Registration at least two business days before the deadline; nominations close 10 November 2026 at 3 p.m. AEDT. Primary organizer information checked 19 October 2026.