National Indigenous Music Awards return to Darwin, open nominations

The National Indigenous Music Awards will return to Darwin in 2021 following an online ceremony last year, with nominations open today.

The gala will return to the Darwin Amphitheatre on August 7 as an in-person event, with NITV jumping on board once again as a broadcast partner.

The ceremony will be spearheaded by a new creative team, led by returning creative director Ben Graetz, new associate creative director Nina Fitzgerald and NIMAs veteran Romana Paulson, who is stepping into the role of project manager.

“2020 was a year like no other and morphing what has always been an amazing night of connection and togetherness into a completely virtual event was a challenging but rewarding experience,” Graetz said in a statement.

“This year, however, we can return bigger and better than ever, creating a stunning physical event once more and using the learnings of last year’s record-breaking virtual audience to retain the best elements of both worlds.”

2021 will bring the event to Australia across many platforms, led by our long-time partners NITV, while creating a special night of connection under the stars here on Larrakia Country.”

Despite being exclusively online in 2020, the virtual ceremony was the awards’ largest-ever event, reaching more than 250,000 people thanks to simultaneous livestreams across NITV, Double J, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Performers at the ceremony included Archie Roach, Miiesha, Thelma Plum, Mambali and JK-47.

Members of the public are invited to nominate First Nations acts across seven award categories.