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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following pages may contain images and voices of people who have passed on and are now deceased.
First Peoples Health Unit 
Art Prize
The First Peoples Health Unit aims to acknowledge culture, healing, and health through art. Art plays a vital role in communicating stories. Appreciating art and deciphering its meanings has a healing effect on Aboriginal people, connecting them to their heritage and promoting wellbeing. We recognise the power of art in storytelling, and that showcasing Dreaming stories is at the core of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and promoting wellbeing.
Healing our country, land and waterways
Healing our country, land and waterways was the theme for the 2024 FPHU Art Prize. The theme stemmed from the intrinsic connection between the health of Aboriginal peoples and the health of their country. In Aboriginal culture, the term "Country" encompasses the lands, waterways and seas that hold spiritual, cultural and practical significance. The health of individuals is intertwined with the health of their country, as they rely on it for sustenance, identity and wellbeing.
Art Prize 2024 - First Place
Mandy Draper is a proud Aboriginal Artist from Darug Country in NSW. Living on Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi Country on the Sunshine Coast for over 28 years. She has only been painting for 3 years.
Art Prize 2024 - People's Choice
Megan Shuttleworth is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman who grew up in Yugambeh country on a rural property with her parents and two older sisters. She attended Tweed River High School and later went on to study Health at Griffith University. This year she completed a Doctor of Medicine, at Griffith University, Gold Coast School of Medicine. She lives with her partner and cat in Southport. Megan first started painting a few years ago after learning contemporary Aboriginal Art styles from Indigenous Elders in Far Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory while on medical placements. She has since learnt many styles from her home Yugambeh culture and utilized art for stress relief from daily work and for storytelling. Her artwork inspirations are her family, the land she grew up on and the natural landscapes around her.
Art Prize 2024 - Awards and Finalists
Some of the things we have always known
Griffith University Student Award
Journey across seasons
Griffith University Student Award
Our Responsibility
High School Student Award
Sorry Day
High School Student Award
Healing Self
High School Student Award
Together as family our hands heal country and waterways
Young Community Member Award
Through their hands
Finalist
Waiting for the rain
Finalist
Body, Mind, Soul, and Spirit
Finalist
Gugga Country
Finalist
Harmony in the waters
Finalist
Healing our wounds
Finalist
Home
Finalist
Mawang
Finalist
Natural and Human Preservations
Finalist
The Cool Burn - Healing Country Together
Finalist
Art Prize 2023 - First Place
As a proud Wiradjuri man reconnecting, with Country and community has been a big part of my journey for my personal health and healing from past trauma. Creating this piece was a spiritual journey for myself, a spiritual journey that brought me calm from the chaos I was enduring. Through the guidance and mentoring from Uncle Darren Dunn (2015 National NAIDOC Artist of the Year), I was able to truly reconnect with my culture by creating this piece of our Totem. Health and Wellbeing is not only important for oneself but Mob as a whole and our “Gugga” (Goanna) is the symbol that connects my people, past, present and future. The six outer red circles indicate the land on which my two brothers, two sisters, my father, and myself, live on. The six inner red circles with the “U” (people) inside of them indicate my family coming together
Gugga, Trent Broadhurst
Acknowledgment of Country
The First Peoples Health Unit acknowledges the wisdom inherent in the Traditional Custodians of Australia as the oldest surviving culture in the world. We recognise their custodianship of the land on which all Griffith University campuses are located. We recognise the connection to their land, air, sea and community. We would like to pay our respect to their Elders and Leaders that are past, present, and future. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Contact us
Phone: 07 567 80508
Email: fphu@griffith.edu.au
Office: Room 3.16 Academic 1 (G01) Gold Coast campus Griffith University