A Northern Territory student was honoured at last night's Independent Education Union – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) Excellence in Art and Design Awards 2025.
Tahni Thompson, a student at Xavier Catholic College in Wurrumiyanga, received an Award of Excellence in the First Nations category for her work in response to the 2025 theme of 'Friends'.
First Nations category reviewer Kevin Eastment described Tahni's piece as inspiring.
"The use of earthy colours and First Nations symbols may represent a deep connection to country by the artist," Kevin said.
"The bonds of friendship begin with your family and extended family and generally last a lifetime, continuing even after they have moved away or left the mortal world," he said.
The annual Art Awards were established in 1994 to promote and encourage artistic students and celebrate their flair for creativity.
At last night's presentation, held at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Brisbane, Awardees' artworks were displayed in an exhibition and recipients were presented with certificates and a cash prize.
IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the reviewers were wowed by the quality of the hundreds of submissions across all age groups in response to the 2025.
"The reviewers commented on the high standard of entries and the varied and creative interpretations that entrants brought to this year's theme," Mr Burke said.
"Our union established the Awards to promote and encourage artistic students and celebrate their flair for creativity.
"Art is a very important area of learning in schools, and IEU-QNT is proud to support the artistic talent of students and staff in the Queensland and Northern Territory non-government sector," he said.
See the full list of recipients of 2025 Awards of Excellence and Highly Commended Awards attached.
