November 10, 2026
.png)
Since 2008, the fbi.radio SMAC Awards have recognised and celebrated incredible talent leaving its mark on Sydney’s music, art and culture. This year, Awesome Black and fbi have co-created a new SMAC Award which we are proud to finally reveal: the First Nations Excellence Award. The award celebrates Mob who are leading by example and putting themselves on the line creatively, professionally and politically to affect the change they seek for their community.
We've put forward six nominees, now you've got the (tough) job of voting for the person you think had the biggest impact this year. Browse the nominees below.
Voting closes 11.59pm, Monday November 16th.
Akala Newman is a Wiradjuri and Gadigal multidisciplinary performer, songwriter, educator, and cultural producer from South-West Sydney. She’s as known for her genre-bending pop as she is for her community engagement work, which takes shape in her roles as First Nations Advisor at Arts and Cultural Exchange (ACE), and an Artist Educator at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Akala is also the founder of Gili Gatherings, Dark House and Ripples of Memory, reimagining and curating live events and workshops that celebrate and centre First Nations ways of knowing.
On stage and in the studio, Akala makes dark pop that fuses electronic production with language, lineage, and club energy. Named “one to watch” by Rolling Stone after SXSW Sydney 2025, her work moves between the intimate and the explosive – sensual, powerful, and unapologetically sovereign.
Earl Weir is a Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri singer-songwriter, community builder, and frontman of the alternative indie-rock band Krystal Rivvers.
Deeply rooted in his First Nations heritage, Earl uses music and storytelling as dynamic tools for connection, healing, and cultural representation. Krystal Rivvers was nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year by the NSW Music prize last year.
Off the stage, he champions Indigenous voices through community engagement, serving as the host of a First Nations radio program on Eastside Radio, a First Nations Advisory Board for Waverley council, and through his KR Studio – a proud Blak creative space hosting many First Nations acts. Earl also curates the King Street Crawl event ‘Always’ – an all First Nations lineup championing young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.
Kaylene Langford is a proud queer Guringai woman, founder of StartUp Creative, and a coach, educator, and speaker.
Drawing on her experience in community services and youth development, she champions diversity, economic independence, and self-determination for First Nations and creative founders. Kaylene works to make business education accessible, helping underrepresented communities turn their ideas into viable, sustainable enterprises while staying grounded in cultural identity.
Today, StartUp Creative has become the go-to source for practical business advice for more than 100,000 creatives and entrepreneurs around the world, and her debut book, How to Start a Side Hustle captures her extensive knowledge and experience in helping people realise their potential while achieving personal, professional and financial abundance.
Kobie Dee is a Gomeroi musician and one of the most powerful voices in Australian hip-hop. Beyond his music, he is an advocate for First Nations youth and communities, using his platform to address systemic inequality and mentor the next generation.
He is the founder of Maroubra-based music studio Twenny47 Studios, which offers a space for people to explore their talents, find their voice and be part of something powerful. Through workshops, programs, and community events, Twenny47 Studios provides safe and inclusive environments where creativity and confidence can be nurtured and grown.
Kobie is a youth ambassador for organisations like Weave Youth & Community Services and Just Reinvest NSW, and his Know Role Models podcast focuses on empowering young people and elevating First Nations voices.
Proud Gumbaynggirr Nyami (woman) from Bowraville, Lizzie Jarrett is a poet, artist, activist, community advocate and mum.
Lizzie is the Chair of the Red Rattler Theatre, a member of The Blak Caucus, and Founder of JustUs; a First Nations-led organisation built on community, connection and the understanding that no family should have to navigate the injustice system alone. She has spent years advocating alongside families navigating the coronial system, helping pave the way for First Nations lived-experience voices within the Aboriginal Legal Service and the NSW Coroners Court. She knows what it means to sit beside families in their darkest moments, to witness the injustice, and to keep showing up when the system too often fails Mob. She brings that same lived experience, knowledge and accountability into her role as a violence, abuse and neglect lived-experience partner with NSW Health.
Proud Arrernte, Bundjalung and Kalkadoon woman and actor Madeleine Madden has played many roles across her career, but a character she never falls out of is advocate. A tireless supporter of First Nations social causes, backer for her peers, and keen listener to the wisdom of others, Madeleine's energy spreads through her work.
Maddy stars as Egwene Al’Vere in the hit Prime Video fantasy The Wheel of Time, and is currently starring in the Stan Original feature film Saccharine. She was also in Redfern Now, Chasing Millions and Lost City of Gold amongst others.
Maddy is the granddaughter of Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, and has continued his legacy since she was a teen. At 13, she became the first teenager in Australia to deliver a televised address to the nation, calling for equal opportunities and an end to the education and employment disparity facing Mob. Today, she’s an ambassador for Mudgin-Gal and continues to weave her advocacy into her career, championing First Nations representation and diversity within the global arts and entertainment industry.
Join our mailing list
Follow @awesomeblack.studio
Share
Recent posts
Navigation
Follow
Legal
Privacy Policy
.jpeg)
.png)
.png)