National NAIDOC Poster Competition winner announced.

A young Aboriginal artist from Chinchilla in Queensland has won the National NAIDOC Poster Competition for 2012.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and National NAIDOC Committee co-chairs, Anne Martin and Benjamin Mitchell, announced today that 25 year old Amanda Joy Tronc’s artwork, titled Look at us Now, had won this year’s competition.

Ms Macklin said that Ms Tronc will receive a $5,000 cash prize and her artwork will feature on the 2012 National NAIDOC poster.

“The poster featuring Ms Tronc’s artwork will be distributed throughout Australia to promote NAIDOC Week 2012, which runs from 1-8 July, and will be displayed in schools, workplaces, and community organisations across Australia,” Ms Macklin said.

Ms Tronc’s artwork was selected from more than 90 quality entries that reflected this year’s NAIDOC theme – Spirit of the Tent Embassy: 40 years on.

Look at us Now illustrates the four founding members of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy standing under the original beach umbrella they planted in front of Old Parliament House in 1972. The foreground displays what has since been achieved by Indigenous Australians and the positive changes they have made 40 years on.

Ms Tronc was delighted when told she had won the competition. She wanted her artwork to honour the importance of history and show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture continues to grow strong with each achievement.

The Australian Government is providing more than $2.1 million this year to support the prestigious national competition and other local NAIDOC celebrations.

Ms Macklin, Ms Martin and Mr MitchelI congratulated Ms Tronc and thanked the talented artists who took part in this year’s competition.

To order your free copies of the 2012 National NAIDOC Week Poster, visit www.naidoc.org.au or call 1800 050 009.