Our mission is to connect our regional community to Indigenous expression and art through supporting the culture, arts and creativity of Australia’s First Nations people.
Building upon its inaugural initiative in 2023, Façon Australia have announced the launch of the fourth annual ‘Indigenous Storytellers Scholarship’. Greater Bank is proud to support this initiative once again in 2026.
The scholarship program is designed to celebrate, sustain and grow Indigenous art and design in New South Wales. Greater Bank will provide a $10,000 scholarship to support the winner’s creative aspirations, with guidance from Murrook Cultural Centre. Greater Bank will also recognise the other eight finalists with $1,000 each.
The program consists of nine differing creative discipline categories that are open for applications including: fashion design, accessory design, art painting, music, dance, writing, digital art, film, and photography.
The finalists, one from each field will get to share their craft and obtain sound advice from a leader in their field.
An independent panel comprising leaders in the Indigenous and artistic communities will select a finalist from each category.
A $10,000 Scholarship from Greater Bank.
A mentoring session with a leading voice from their creative discipline.
Guidance from Murrook Cultural Centre and the use of their facilities.
Greater Bank will also recognise the other eight finalists with $1,000 each.
Aaron Taylor is a Murramarang man from Nowra, a Dharrawal language and traditional dance educator, poet and self-published children’s author. Through storytelling, Aaron celebrates culture, language and identity, creating works that inspire connection and challenge misconceptions. His writing focuses on strengthening community, preserving knowledge and empowering the next generation through culturally grounded narratives.
Aimee Hannan is a proud Gamilaraay artist from regional NSW and a rising voice in contemporary country music. Blending traditional country roots with a modern country-pop sound, her powerful and emotive performances are grounded in lived experience and authenticity. A former Top 12 finalist on The Voice Australia, Aimee’s journey of resilience and empowerment continues to shape her music, which explores identity, strength and self-determination.
Holly Faulds is a Wiradjuri, Dharawal and Wywandy woman from Dubbo, NSW, and an accomplished dancer, artist and creative practitioner. A graduate of Village Nation and NAISDA Dance College, Holly has worked with Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Youth and Education team and now creates work for schools, studios and communities while completing studies in dance teaching and architecture.
Jasmine Christie is a proud Palawa artist living and working on Worimi and Awabakal Country. The 2025/26 First Nations Artist in Residence at The Creator Incubator, Jasmine creates work inspired by motherhood, healing and shared experience. Through her art and community workshops, she fosters connection, storytelling and empowerment while building a growing exhibition portfolio across NSW.
Kartika Medcraft-Smith is a proud Leterrermairrener and Plangermaireener Pakana woman from North-East Tasmania, with Wiradjuri family connections. As Founder and Creative Director of Pakana Dreaming, she creates artwork inspired by ancestral stories, family and Country. Grounded in the cultural significance of Lutruwita’s Lunapu Caves, her work spans visual art and wearable design, championing cultural storytelling, connection and authentic Aboriginal expression for contemporary audiences.
Liam Forrest is an emerging Awabakal filmmaker based on Worimi Country. His practice began after studying film and TV at TAFE NSW, following a period of serious illness that reshaped his path. Liam’s work focuses on storytelling with emotional depth, including his documentary Beyond the Break, exploring surfing, mental health and personal resilience through a grounded, human lens.
Nicole Smede is a Warrimay multidisciplinary artist living on Wodi Wodi Dharawal Country. Working across sound, poetry, film and installation, her practice explores land, language and memory. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including award-winning Yulimba and Bagandha yanggamba ngga, and reflects an ongoing commitment to Indigenous-led storytelling and cross-cultural collaboration.
Raymond Kelly is a proud Dhungutti, Worimi and Gumbaynggirr man from Newcastle, NSW, with more than 30 years of experience creating digital art. Working across photography and visual storytelling, his practice celebrates the landscapes, waterways and wildlife of Australia’s east coast while exploring the deep connection between people and Country. Through his work, Raymond shares cultural knowledge, strengthens identity and preserves stories for future generations.
Robbie Hartigan is an emerging Gomeroi artist working across menswear design, accessories and contemporary fashion practice, including bucket hats and beachwear. Based in regional NSW, he has built strong creative connections through his work with Arts North West as an Aboriginal Arts Officer, engaging with artists and communities across the region. Robbie is currently developing his collaborative fashion label Marayn Menswear, set to debut at Country to Couture in Darwin in 2026.
Samantha Harris returns as Fashion Mentor for the Indigenous Storytellers Scholarship in 2026, marking her fourth year in the role. A proud Dunghutti woman and one of Australia’s most recognised models, she has walked at Australian Fashion Week and fronted major national campaigns. Passionate about representation and community, Samantha uses her platform to champion First Nations creatives, guiding the next generation to lead with authenticity, culture and purpose.
Casey Donovan returns to the Indigenous Storytellers Scholarship for her second year as a mentor, bringing her powerful voice, presence and passion for storytelling to the program. A proud First Nations woman and multi-disciplinary artist, Casey has built an acclaimed career spanning music, theatre and television, using each platform to share stories grounded in identity, resilience and truth.
Rheanna Lotter, a proud Yuin woman and founder of Ngandabaa, returns as a Digital Art Mentor for a second year. Raised in the NSW Southern Highlands and now based in Western Sydney, her work blends digital and hand-painted art to share and celebrate Aboriginal culture. Deeply inspired by her grandfather, Ngandabaa is both a personal tribute and a platform for storytelling. Passionate about connection and accessibility, Rheanna empowers emerging artists to embrace digital mediums as a way to express culture, identity and story with confidence and purpose.
Damian Smith is a proud Wonnarua man, internationally recognised ballet artist, filmmaker, and arts leader. Born in Australia, he began his early training at The McDonald College before continuing his studies at the School of American Ballet in New York, the official school of New York City Ballet. Smith currently serves as the Artistic Director of the National Ballet School in Melbourne, where he mentors the next generation of dancers and continues to develop innovative projects that bridge classical ballet, contemporary performance, and cultural storytelling.
Founded by Saretta Fielding, Malang Indigenous Corporation joins the Indigenous Storytellers Scholarship as a mentor, connecting creatives with opportunities across community, government and corporate sectors. Malang champions Aboriginal artists to share authentic stories through projects spanning installations, uniforms, gifting, and design.
Josh is a Worimi man who lives and works on Country with strong ties back to the Bugg/Derby families. He has over a decade of experience working across Indigenous employment, leading him to help develop and launch the Centre for Indigenous People and Work, a world-first employment research and consulting Centre focused on Indigenous attraction, retention and workplace experience. Josh is doing his PhD in Indigenous agriculture post-colonisation, and launched his book, Australia's Agricultural Identity: An Aboriginal Yarn, in 2025.
Warren Taggart shares his knowledge and cultural experience by running educational tours on Wonnarua country and is an accomplished photographer, along with his team Allan Chawner and Carol Carter. Taggart’s book, SPIRIT OF PLACE - Aboriginal Sites of the Hunter Valley, is a beautiful photographic record of Wonnarua traditional land depicting carvings, rock paintings and culturally significant sites of the Hunter Region.
Is a self taught multidisciplinary artist and designer based in naarm. Her work is an ongoing, experimental exploration of growth - using art as a way to process and communicate her experiences with trauma, mental health, and healing. Corin works with recycled, discarded and found materials to reveal the beauty in transformation and repair. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind work of wearable art, created slowly over months or years holding deep personal and material histories. All works are made sustainably and ethically on unceded, stolen land.
Blacklock Media was founded by Ngarabal and Biripi cinematographer Brendan Blacklock in 2012. Brendan began his career as a camera assistant on Australian film, television and documentary. Alongside leading Blacklock Media’s productions, Brendan works as a cinematographer on major projects including Filthy Rich and Homeless, Backtrack Boys, Spread the Word and the Take Blaktion campaign. The Blacklock Media team brings together experienced professionals across writing, directing, cinematography, sound, editing and colour grading, with more than 50 years of combined industry experience.
The Indigenous Storyteller Scholarship 2025 is awarded to Sean Kinchela. Sean is a Gamilaroi and Wiradjuri man with family ties to Moree, Coonabarabran, Dubbo and Wellington.
Now based on Yuin Country on the Far South Coast of NSW, Sean is a multidisciplinary artist working across acrylic painting, digital art, graphic design and photography.
“Sometimes all we have of someone is memories and a photo, and sometimes being a photographer means that you have that responsibility to capture and protect these stories.” Sean Kinchela
With support from Greater Bank, Sean plans to use the $10,000 scholarship to help fund the completion of a photography guide book to the South Coast - spotlighting the region’s hidden gems, wildlife, and people from an Indigenous photographic perspective.
Eight other finalists across dance, fashion design, writing, film, accessory design, painting, digital art and music also received a $1,000 prize, thanks to Greater Bank’s ongoing support of the scholarship program. All finalists were also paired with a leading Indigenous mentor in their field.
Sean's winning submission - a cultural portrait of his partner - demonstrated both technical skill and deep emotional storytelling.
