National Indigenous Music Awards

National music award for Indigenous Australian musicians, awarded in Darwin

National Indigenous Music Awards

Current: National Indigenous Music Awards 2023
Awarded for| The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia.
Country| Australia
Presented by| MusicNT
First awarded| 2004; 19 years ago (2004)
Last awarded| Current
Website| nima.musicnt.com.au
Television/radio coverage
Network| National Indigenous Television

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in Australia.

## History[edit]

The inaugural event was held in 2004, launched as the NT Indigenous Music Awards. In 2008 the awards went national and were renamed the National Indigenous Music Awards.[1]

Just a couple of weeks before the scheduled date of the 2021 event on 7 August, it was announced that it would be postponed until later in the year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic flaring in New South Wales.[2]

## Description[edit]

The National Indigenous Music Awards are awarded during the Darwin Festival and run by MusicNT in association with the Northern Territory Government.[1] They recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. The Awards are presented at a special event in August as part of the Darwin Festival in Darwin, Northern Territory, and feature the best of Indigenous music talent.[3]

## Eligibility and categories[edit]

To be eligible, the associated release or achievement must have taken place from July (the year prior) to June (the year of the awards).[4]

The categories have changed over the years, but the main categories in the ceremony include Artist/Act of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Film clip of the Year and Best New Talent/Emerging Talent, as well as an inductee into the Hall of Fame.[4]

## Unearthed NIMAs Competition[edit]

Radio station Triple j runs the Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards Competition to select an emerging Indigenous artist to play at the Awards.[5] Winners have included Dallas Woods, Thelma Plum, Baker Boy, Alice Skye, Kuren,[5] and Tilly Tjala Thomas.[6]

## Awards by year[edit]

To see the full article for a particular year, please click on the year link.

Year  | Artist of the Year  | Album of the Year  | Song of the Year  | Hall of Fame Inductee

|
|
|
|

2004[7] | male: Warren H. Williams
female: Shellie Morris
band: Yothu Yindi | —  | —  | George Rrurrambu and Mandawuy Yunupingu
2005[8] | male: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
female: Shellie Morris
band: Nabarlek | Yilila - Manila, Manila | Yilila - "Mijiyanga"  | Kathy & David Mills, The Mystics, Dick Mununggu, Gus Williams, Auriel Andrew, Mr. Yamma Snr and Herbie Laughton
2006 | Yilila  | Tom E. Lewis – Sunshine After Rain | Warren H. Williams \- "Learn My Song"  | Warumpi Band and Soft Sands
2007 | Jessica Mauboy | Nabarlek \- Manmoyi Radio | Terrah Guymala - "Little Journey to Manmoyi"  | Betty Fisher, Barry Benning
2008[9] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Gurrumul | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - "Wiyathul"  | Peter Miller and Blek Bala Mujik, Mark Raymond and the Kulumindini Band
2009[10] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu  | Jessica Mauboy \- Been Waiting | Jessica Mauboy - "Running Back"  | Sammy Butcher, Tableland Drifters and David Asera
2010[11] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu  | Garrangali – Garrangali | Garrangali – "Searights"  | Kumanjayi Murphy
2011[12] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu  | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Rrakala | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu and Blue King Brown – "Gathu Mawula"  | Coloured Stone, No Fixed Address
2012[13] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu  | The Medics – Foundations | The Medics – "Griffin"  | Jimmy Little, Sunrize Band & Lajamanu Teenage Band
2013[14] | Jessica Mauboy | Archie Roach – Into the Bloodstream | Shellie Morris and the Borroloola Songwomen – "Waliwaliyangu li-Anthawirriyarra a-Kurija (Saltwater People Song)"  | Henry Dan, Wirrinyga Band, Archie Roach
2014[15] | Jessica Mauboy | Dan Sultan – Blackbird | Dan Sultan – "The Same Man"  | Munkimuk (aka Mark Munk Ross)
2015[16] | Jessica Mauboy and Dan Sultan | Briggs \- Sheplife | Thelma Plum \- "How Much Does Your Love Cost?"  | Vic Simms and Blekbala Mujik
2016[17] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Gawurra \- Ratja Yaliyali | Briggs, Dewayne Everettsmith & Gurrumul - "The Children Came Back"  | Kutcha Edwards
2017[18] | Troy Cassar-Daley | Troy Cassar-Daley \- Things I Carry Around | A.B. Original feat. Dan Sultan \- "January 26"  | —
2018[19] | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Gurrumul - Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) | Gurrumul - "Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)"  | Roger Knox
2019[20] | Baker Boy | Mojo Juju \- Native Tongue | Mojo Juju - "Native Tongue"  | Tiddas & Wilma Reading
2020[21] | Baker Boy | Archie Roach \- Tell Me Why | Baker Boy feat JessB \- "Meditjin"  | Ruby Hunter
2021[22] | The Kid Laroi | JK-47 – Made for This | Miiesha – "Damaged"  | Kev Carmody
2022 | Baker Boy  | Baker Boy – Gela | King Stingray – "Milkumana"  | Gurrumul[23]
2023 | Budjerah | Thelma Plum – Meanjin | King Stingray – "Let's Go"  | Yothu Yindi[24]

## See also[edit]

* Deadly Awards (1995–2013)
* National Dreamtime Awards (2017–)
* Stompen Ground
* List of Australian Aboriginal musicians

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "About". NIMA. 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
2. ^ Fitzgerald, Roxanne; Heaney, Chelsea (27 July 2021). "National Indigenous Music Awards postponed after NT government widens NSW hotspots". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
3. ^ "National Indigenous Music Awards". Off The Leash. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
4. ^ a b "National Categories" (PDF). MusicNT. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
5. ^ a b "Wanna play the National Indigenous Music Awards?". triple j. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
6. ^ "Teenage Joans, Tilly Tjala Thomas And More Win Big At The 2021 South Australian Music Awards". The Music. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
7. ^ "Yothu Yindi bags NT music prize". ABC. 29 August 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
8. ^ "Digitised Collections the koori Mail" (PDF). 29 August 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
9. ^ Lee, Nicole (30 August 2008). "NT Indigenous Music Awards". ABC Radio Darwin. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. ^ "2009 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
11. ^ "2010 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
12. ^ "2011 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
13. ^ "2012 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
14. ^ "2013 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
15. ^ "2014 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
16. ^ "2015 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
17. ^ "2016 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. MusicNT. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
18. ^ "2017 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. NIMA. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
19. ^ "2018 National Indigenous Music Awards Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. NIMA. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
20. ^ "2019 Winners". National Indigenous Music Awards. NIMA. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
21. ^ Gooley, Cameron (8 August 2020). "Baker Boy wins top prize at National Indigenous Music Awards, Ruby Hunter inducted into Hall of Fame". ABC News. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
22. ^ "The Kid LAROI, JK-47 lead National Indigenous Music Award winners". ABC. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
23. ^ "Gurrumul Is The 2022 NIMA Hall Of Fame Inductee". The Music. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
24. ^ "Yothu Yindi To Be Inducted Into The NIMA Hall Of Fame". The Music. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.

## External links[edit]

* Official website

* v
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National Indigenous Music Awards

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