On Larrakia Country, the big season winds of gurrulwa guligi moved softly through the Darwin Amphitheatre on Saturday night as Indigenous music's brightest stars were recognised at the National Indigenous Music Awards.

Emily Wurramara (Artist of the Year), Andrew Gurruwiwi Band (Best New Talent), and BARKAA (Album of the Year for BIG TIDDA) were among the luminaries honoured with Awards, and Jessica Mauboy was inducted into the NIMAs Hall of Fame.

The casuarinas whispered to one another, the scent of frangipani floated on the warm night air, and people arrived smiling, greeting friends, and finding their places under a deep velvet sky. It was the grand finale to a week where Darwin had become the beating heart of Blak creative excellence in this country.

For days, the city had been alive with the vibrancy of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, the glamour of the Indigenous Fashion Awards, and the brilliance of the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. The 2025 NIMAs, presented by YouTube, brought it all home. It was the perfect closing chapter, where music met the spirit of the week and carried it into the night.

From Elders seated proudly in the front rows to families with children curled up in picnic rugs, there had been a shared understanding that this gathering was something special. It was a celebration of songlines, of voices that carry language and history, of artists who give us music that reaches far beyond the stage.

The night began with the deep hum of the yidaki and the graceful movements of the Larrakia dancers. A smoking ceremony swirled over the crowd, grounding everyone in place and time. Our hosts, Elaine Crombie and Ben Graetz, brought warmth, humour, and care, guiding the audience through a program alive with talent and meaning.

When the announcement came for Artist of the Year, the roar that went up for Emily Wurramara had been like a wave rolling in from the Arafura Sea. Her songs, sung in both Anindilyakwa and English, hold the tides and the spirit of her island home. Tonight she stood as a storyteller whose voice reached across the country. Later in the evening, Emily returned to the stage to accept Film Clip of the Year for her moving piece Lordy Lordy, a moment met with just as much joy and pride from the crowd.

The Best New Talent award went to the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, whose joyful Yolŋu funk had people swaying and laughing during their earlier performance. By the time they came back to accept Song of the Year for Once Upon A Time, their place in the hearts of everyone there felt certain.

BARKAA's BIG TIDDA was named Album of the Year, a fierce and unapologetic body of work that speaks to strength, truth, and survival. Her live performance had been a moment to remember, the amphitheatre alive with her voice and her fire.

In one of the most heartfelt scenes of the night, Community Clip of the Year head awarded to Bulman School and Community for Crocodile Style. The pride in their faces and the cheers from the crowd showed just how deeply music connects people across distance and difference.

The performances throughout the night created a journey of sound and story. Miss Kaninna brought a raw and powerful energy, Velvet Trip painted the evening in psychedelic soul, and Emma Donovan's voice wrapped the crowd in something rich and comforting. When Jessica Mauboy, this year's Hall of Fame inductee, stepped onto the stage on her Larrakia homeland, there was a stillness in the crowd that spoke louder than applause. Her set was both a homecoming and a celebration of the path she has walked from Darwin to the world.

Troy Cassar-Daley closed the night with songs that felt like they belonged to the land and the air around us. His voice and guitar seemed to travel with the wind, carrying the final notes into the trees and beyond.

As people began to leave, the cool air still moved gently through the palms and the night felt full, as if it was holding on to every note, every cheer, and every shared smile. This was a week where Darwin stood at the centre of the nation's cultural map, a place where Blak excellence was not just seen but celebrated.

The NIMAs was the perfect ending; a reminder that our stories, our art, our fashion, and our music are treasures that will continue to echo far beyond this week, carried on the big season winds of Larrakia Country.