The winner of this year's NAIDOC poster design competition has been announced.
Gubbi Gubbi artist and public servant Maggie-Jean Douglas has won the prestigious honour, and will soon see her art adorning city streets in preparation for NAIDOC week this July.
"It's very exciting. I couldn't believe it when they told me," she tells NITV.
The theme this year is "Heal Country!", something that resonated with Douglas as she was creating her winning submission.
The winning entry, Care for Country, chosen from 260 candidates. Source: Supplied
"I first thought about how Australia has a lot of natural medicines, and ways of healing. I thought about how our people have used that to heal ourselves spiritually, physically, emotionally, all those things.
"I resonate with that because that's the way I feel. I feel out of sorts when I haven't had enough connection to Country," she says.
"I think the Indigenous community needs that as a whole. It's a great theme."
Though this year will especially important for her, NAIDOC has always been a big event for Douglas, growing up on Gureng Gureng Country, near Bundaberg.
21-year old Maggie-Jean Douglas has extra reason to celebrate NAIDOC this year. Source: Supplied
"I've always loved NAIDOC, my primary school actually used to be very into it, we used to do something every day for the whole week, it was a very big event.
"It's up there with Christmas and Easter for me!" she laughs.
There's extra reason to celebrate this year, with Douglas' receiving a ten thousand dollar cash prize.
Free printed copies of the 2021 National NAIDOC Poster will soon be available through the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s regional network.
NAIDOC week begins 5 July.
