2021 Winner

We are so excited to announce the winner of our Young Artists Competition ‘The Healing Leap’ by Justin aged 10. The competition was judged by two of Yarn’s talented partner artists Shara Delaney and Mandy Draper. Justin’s work was chosen by the artists as he has done an incredible job at creating an artwork and story that encapsulates the competition’s theme “Heal Country.” Through Justin’s artwork’s representation of the kangaroo, he shows us moving forward together as a nation and healing country.

“Let’s heal our country, heal our nation and don’t let damages ruin the greatest creation. This is my artwork showcasing the healing of our future. Kangaroos represent our country and kangaroo means moving forward, leaping into the future with our pride as a sacred land and keeping the history alive. Be willing to take a chance to protect our country. With beautiful sunrises, fresh water streams, plants and animal life, let’s heal the country and be proud!” – Justin

Justin’s artwork conveys an important message, that we need to leap into the future with a pride in culture and willingness to protect this beautiful country.

The winner was picked from the top 5 finalists who had the highest number of people’s choice votes. We would like to acknowledge the other incredible finalists: ‘Beautiful Country’ by Geraldine, ‘Heal Country’ by Shenayah, ‘Connection to Country’ by Raiden and ‘We Need Your Help’ by Jett. We are absolutely blown away by the talent that has emerged through this competition. It is wonderful to see the creativity of the younger generation and to witness their continued connection to culture and country.

As a result of winning this competition, Justin’s artwork ‘The Healing Leap’ will be featured on a limited edition Yarn collection! 100% of the profits from sales will be going to our partner charities ALNF (Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation), GunawirraNutrition Plus and Surat Aboriginal Corporation. So, keep your eyes peeled for this incredible new collection, it will be available soon and for a short time only!

Once again, congratulations Justin!

2020 Winner

We are so excited to announce the winner of our Young Artists Competition “The Ritjinguthinha” by Jaeve aged 16. The competition was judged by two of Yarn’s talented partner artists Holly Sanders and Luke Mallie. Jeave’s work was chosen by the artists as she has done an incredible job at creating an artwork that encapsulates the competition’s theme “Always Was, Always Will Be.” Through Jaeve’s artwork, she portrays the Dreamtime stories of her people, the Kalkadoon people of the Mt Isa region. 

“My painting represents the many Dreamtime stories that have been passed on through the generations since the dawn of time. At the bottom of my painting you will see the Emu in the sky. Aboriginal legend tells us emus were the creator spirits that would fly and look over the land. Moving up my painting I have included the many red and ochre colours of our country. My ancestors were the Kalkadoon people from the Mt Isa region, and these colours reflect their surroundings. I have included the symbol for women, paying respect in particular, to my female ancestors, who raised their children and hunted, farmed and foraged with their digging sticks on this land. Our family totem is the Desert Goanna, which was passed onto me from my aunty, this connects me to my Indigenous heritage both on a spiritual and cultural level. Spanning my painting I have included the footsteps of our First Nations people crossing over our land, like they did 65,000 years ago. I have included the sea/coast line, as both the land and ocean were of equal importance to our ancestors. The turtle was a favoured food source of our First Nations people and are still celebrated with respect today. The many swirls and dot work represent the Dreamtime stories and I hope this will encourage and inspire people to embrace the ancient history of our country.” – Jaeve

Jaeve leaves us with an important message to “embrace the ancient history of our country” as it is rich in culture and tradition, passed down through centuries of generations.

The winner was picked from the top 5 finalists who had the highest number of people’s choice votes. We would like to acknowledge the other incredible finalists: Wholeness by Lilly, Connecting with the World! by Sylvia and the Majestic Suken World by Rose. We are absolutely blown away by the talent that has emerged through this competition. It is wonderful to see the creativity of the younger generation and to witness their continued connection to culture and country.

As a result of winning this competition, Jaeve’s artwork “The Ritjinguthinha” will be featured on a limited edition Yarn collection! 100% of the profits from sales will be going to our partner charities ALNF (Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation), Gunawirra and Nutrition Plus. So keep your eyes peeled for this incredible new collection, it will be available soon and for a short time only!

Once again congratulations Jaeve!