The National Indigenous Music Awards night has been celebrating First Nations music and artists for 17 years with a live performance showcase and packed audiences at the Darwin Amphitheatre.
This year, the Awards have been determined to overcome Covid-19 restrictions and on August 8 will now join with NITV and a raft of radio and online partners to broadcast a live presentation from Larrakia Country that takes viewers across the country with live crosses to special performances from iconic artists.
NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Denning-Orman, says she is delighted to continue the NITV tradition of broadcasting the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs).
"NITV is committed to celebrating Indigenous musicians from all over Australia. Music has always been a strong part of our people’s Cultures," she says.
The 'virtual' format will also welcome audience interaction from the audience through social media during the live show.
National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) 2019 in Darwin Source: David Hancock
NIMA's Creative Director Ben Graetz said in a media release that Covid-19 has brought different challenges to this years production but also some positives.
“The NIMAs star has shone brightly for seventeen years and far from dimming that light, COVID has emboldened us to re-imagine what the event can be,” said Graetz.
“At its heart, the NIMAs is about celebrating our culture and music’s important place within it and we think that being forced to let go of the constraints of location will enable us to reach even more people and create an even bigger welcome mat for Australians to experience and celebrate First Nations music.”
Nominations for this year's awards are open until this Friday, May 29, with finalists and winners decided by a panel of community members and music industry professionals. All artists who have appeared in the weekly National Indigenous Music Chart will also be automatically nominated for the awards.
Archie Roach at the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) 2019 in Darwin Source: David Hancock
Stay tuned to NITV for all the broadcast information.
