21/07/2026
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Congratulations to the Ngaarda-ngarli artists recognised at this year’s Cossack Art Awards 👩🏾🎨 🖼️🏆
🌊 It is fitting that these works are celebrated in Bajinhurrba (Cossack), a place of profound cultural significance on Ngarluma Ngurra 🌊
Long before it became a colonial port, Bajinhurrba was, and remains, an important cultural landscape where stories, trade, ceremony and connection to Country continue across generations 🖤
Today, the Cossack Art Awards provide an opportunity for artists to share stories, perspectives and connections through extraordinary works of art.
A special congratulations to the First Nations artists recognised by the judges:
🏆 Jenny Butt – Nyurnma (Burnt Country)
Best Overall Artwork
A striking and richly layered work that captures the power and complexity of Country after fire. The judges described it as a work that continues to reveal itself over time, inviting viewers to slow down, listen and reflect.
🏆 Rodney Adams – Roebourne Town mid-80s
Best Artwork by Pilbara Artist
A powerful map-like depiction of Roebourne centred on the Harding River, celebrating a period in the town’s history and reminding us of the river’s enduring importance before it was dammed.
🏆 Tessa Birch – 6AM Low Tide
Painting by Pilbara Indigenous Artist
A beautifully observed portrayal of the meeting of land and sea at low tide, revealing the intricate colours, textures and rhythms of the coastal environment.
🏆 Allery Sandy – After the Cyclone
Pilbara Landscape Award
An aerial perspective of the Pilbara transformed by cyclonic rain, capturing the movement of water across Country and the life it brings to the landscape.
👏 Tenellia Mokotupu – Bitharndi – The Pink & Grey Galah
Highly Commended – Painting by Pilbara Indigenous Artist
A tender work depicting three galahs nestled together within the protective hollow of an old river gum, celebrating kinship, shelter and the natural world.
👏 Marlene Harold – Early Morning Mist
Highly Commended – North West Flora and Fauna
A subtle and atmospheric painting that captures the layered colours and shifting light of an early Pilbara morning.
❤️👏🏾 Congratulations to each of these artists, and to all First Nations artists who exhibited this year. Your work enriches our region, strengthens culture, and reminds us that the Pilbara is not only a place of immense natural beauty, but one of enduring stories, knowledge and creativity.
🖤💛❤️
