Drawing Us Together continues to celebrate First Nations culture, storytelling and creativity through a unique community storybook project. In 2026, we proudly partnered with First Nations authors from across Australia, who shared original stories inspired by this year's NAIDOC Week theme, "50 Years of Deadly."

Local primary school students were invited to bring these stories to life through art, submitting illustrations inspired by the authors' words. 

Thanks to the incredible support of our community, voting has now concluded and the final illustrations have been selected. Together, we have created a storybook that celebrates culture, creativity and connection while showcasing the talents of the next generation.

Winning Illustrations

Front Cover – Isabell Danson, New England Girls' School 

Page 1 – Kobi Carpenter, The Armidale School

Page 2 – Bradley Byrnes, The Armidale School

Page 3 – Tyson Dickson, The Armidale School

Page 4 – Chloe Dennison, The Armidale School

Page 5 – Andrew Roberts, The Armidale School

Page 6 – Mackenzie Jackson, The Armidale School

Page 7 – Ruby Bamford, New England Girls' School 

Page 8 – Tikah Monaghan, New England Girls' School 

Page 9 – Ruby Bamford, New England Girls' School 

Page 10 – Jaylee Burns, New England Girls' School 

Page 11 – Isabell Danson, New England Girls' School 

Page 12 – Olivia McDonald, New England Girls' School 

We look forward to welcoming our winning students and their families to centre for a special celebration recognising their outstanding contributions to this year's project.