Torres Strait Islands artist Brian Robinson has designed the Prime Minister's Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems medallion.

Robinson is a contemporary artist with ancestral lineage to the Maluyligal people of Torres Strait and the Wuthathi people of Cape York Peninsula.

His design for the Prime Minister's Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems medallion draws deeply from his spiritual connection to the night sky.

The award was presented for the first time in 2025.

Robinson's medallion design draws deeply from his spiritual connection to the night sky. (Image: Australian Government Department of Industry Science and Resources)

Robinson said for thousands of years, the sky has served as a vital guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, enabling safe navigation across lands, seas, and waterways.

"There's a saying what happens above, happens below. If you want to experience the world below and know how things function, you look to the stars," Robinson said.

'It's important to acknowledge these ways of connecting with the country, the seas, the waterways and the skies and how living in harmony with those areas helps us as a nation to move forward."

Beyond navigation, it holds profound knowledge predicting weather patterns, identifying food sources, and supporting sustainable practices essential for livelihood.

Robinson's medallion design also deeply reflects the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.

Brian Robinson is a multi-skilled contemporary artist whose practice includes painting, printmaking, sculpture and design. (Image: Australian Government Department of Industry Science and Resources)

"The journey started off as a rough sketch. It's then been hand-carved to create all the different patterns and textures," he said.

"There are a number of motifs that were embedded in the design"

Motifs on the medallion reflect land and sea management, food sourcing, medicine, song, dance, and ceremony.

Crafted at the Royal Australian Mint, it now stands as a national emblem for the Prime Minister's Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems.

"That sketch, to see it produced at the Royal Australian Mint, is absolutely amazing," Robinson said.

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