Emergent Talent Gawurra Cleans Up At NIMA Awards Alongside Gurrumul, Briggs & More

Ascendant musician Gawurra has taken out nearly half the winnable crop of National Indigenous Music Awards for 2016, being named the winner of four of the ceremony's nine categories, including Album Of The Year.

Gawurra — who hails from Arnhem Land — earned the album nod for his debut double LP, Ratja Yaliyali, which also saw artist Jalyay Jaja Thompson pick up the prize for Cover Art of the year. The title track's video, directed and produced by Pippa Samaya, took out Film Clip of the year, and Gawurra himself was also named the year's best New Talent.

The wins were announced at the NIMA ceremony held at Darwin's Botanic Gardens Amphitheatre on Saturday, which also saw Gurrumul named Artist Of The Year for the fifth time — his first victory in the category since 2012 — as well as celebrated rapper Briggs picking up honours for Song Of The Year with his incredible collaboration, The Children Came Back, which boasts not only Briggs and Gurrumul as its writers, but Archie Roach and Corey McGregor too, with Briggs, Gurrumul and Dewayne Everettsmith named as its credited performers.

Additionally, songwriter Ishmael Marika won the award for Traditional Song Of The Year with Two Sisters Journey and famed troubadour Kutcha Edwards was admitted to the Hall Of Fame, while, extending the sense of camaraderie, the Ngukurr Community picked up the nod for Community Music Clip for their track Break The Silence, created in collaboration with Indigenous Hip Hop Projects and White Ribbon.

For more information about the 2016 winners, as well as past events, see the NIMAs' website.