Emily Wurramara, BARKAA and Andrew Gurruwiwi Band Win Big at 2025 NIMAs

The 2025 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) have wrapped up in Darwin, celebrating the best in First Nations music with double wins for Emily Wurramara and Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, and a second consecutive major award for hip-hop powerhouse BARKAA.

Wurramara was named Artist of the Year, presented by YouTube, and also took home Film Clip of the Year for her striking video “Lordy Lordy”, which features Tasman Keith. A powerful storyteller in Australia’s blues and roots scene, Wurramara has amassed more than 16 million Spotify streams and shared stages with the likes of Midnight Oil, Missy Higgins, and Thelma Plum.

The Song of the Year and Best New Talent awards both went to the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, whose funk-driven jams, sung in Yolngu Matha, have made them festival favourites from Golden Plains to SXSW Sydney. Led by their charismatic, keytar-wielding frontman, the Yolngu elder said to be shy offstage but magnetic on it, the group continue to bring culture and groove to audiences around the country.

BARKAA claimed Album of the Year for BIG TIDDA, marking her second year in a row taking out a top prize at the NIMAs, after winning Artist of the Year in 2024. The Malyangapa, Barkindji rapper has become one of Australian hip-hop’s most fearless voices, earning critical acclaim for her unapologetic lyricism and stage presence.

Community Clip of the Year went to Bulman School & Community for “Crocodile Style”, highlighting the NIMAs’ ongoing commitment to celebrating community-led storytelling.

The night also saw some standout moments:

• Jessica Mauboy was inducted into the NIMAs Hall of Fame and delivered a special performance of her new single “While I Got Time”.

• Two-time NIMAs winner Troy Cassar-Daley returned to the stage for a spellbinding set.

• Miss Kaninna, the first independent Aboriginal woman to be nominated for a debut single at the ARIA Music Awards, surprised audiences with a performance.

The 2025 ceremony marked the first time the NIMAs were livestreamed globally on YouTube, extending the celebration of First Nations music and culture far beyond Larrakia Country.

The full winners list can be found below, with info on all of the finalists here.

Artist of the Year presented by YouTube

Emily Wurramara

Best New Talent

Andrew Gurruwiwi Band

Album of the Year

BARKAA – BIG TIDDA

Film Clip of the Year

Emily Wurramara – “Lordy Lordy”

Community Clip of the Year

Bulman School & Community – “Crocodile Style”

Song of the Year

Andrew Gurruwiwi Band – “Once Upon a Time”