From the Nominator

On 16 November 2018 more than 530 corporate CEOs, high level business identities, government & community leaders, Indigenous Elders, academics, students and the wider community came together to celebrate the culture, heritage and achievements of Australia’s First Nations people at the 2018 Bond University Annual Indigenous Gala and Art Auction. Now in its ninth year, the 2018 event raised a record sum of almost $400,000 to fund educational opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the form of university scholarships, bursaries and targeted student support. The money was raised through a combination of corporate sponsorships, philanthropic donations, ticket sales, raffle items, and an auction of Indigenous artworks donated by collectors and the artists themselves.

From the Judges

Bond University's Annual Indigenous Gala and Art Auction demonstrated the value of strong community partnership and alignment with institutional priorities. Having external stakeholders such as the government, business community and indigenous leaders can be a challenge, but this event demonstrated how to maintain messaging for student scholarship support. This serves as a great model for how to connect audiences to student success initiatives and targeted student support for diverse student populations, and raising awareness for a university's strategic priorities and impact. This showcased a true recognition and engagement of the community's identity. Appreciate the call to action for student support/resources and the progress toward increased student retention. A great event to translate a university's pride points! The uniqueness of incorporating cultural works of art, storytelling, and working with corporate sponsors to ensure inclusion of indigenous families in the event attendance stood out.