NAIDOC Week 2025 marks 50 years of community involvement and elevating First Nations voices, culture, and resilience.
Each year, NAIDOC Week, 6-13 July, celebrates the rich cultural heritage, history and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year marks 50 years since the first NAIDOC Week, a movement born from a day of mourning. Originally a protest against the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet, it is now a celebration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that continues to honour its history and call for recognition, justice and equality.
Over five decades, NAIDOC Week has grown into a powerful national celebration of the diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and cultures that have shaped this country and is a testament to their enduring strength and resilience.
The 2025 Theme: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy
Each year, NAIDOC Week shares a theme, capturing the experiences and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. These themes have highlighted issues such as land rights, cultural revival, and self-determination.
In 2025, the theme is ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy,’ celebrating the achievements of the past while looking to an equitable future ahead, empowered by the strength of young First Nations leaders, the vision of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and the legacy of their ancestors.
It carries a powerful message that the next generation will carry forward, grounded in the strength of their Elders and guided by a legacy of unity, respect, and self-determination for all.
The 2025 National NAIDOC Week Poster
An iconic feature of NAIDOC Week, the National NAIDOC Poster competition encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to submit artworks reflecting that year's National NAIDOC Week Theme.
The winner of the 2025 National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition is Jeremy Morgan Worrall, a Ngarbal Gamilaraay artist. His artwork titled 'Ancestral Lines' is a visual representation of the lines and ties that follow a generation and the songs that come with it.
Image: The 2025 National NAIDOC Week Poster. Text: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy. 6-13 July, 2025. NAIDOC Week - logo.
"Each person in the painting depicts a series of lines akin to song lines, that represent what they know, who they were and what they have passed on, the first being that of lore (interpretive), hunting, protecting, and tracking, the second of care, weaving, fishing, and love," said Jeremy Morgan Worrall.
"When I look back at my mob it helps me see towards the future, it gives me hope and strength knowing what my mob have survived through and accomplished amid adversity."
You can find NAIDOC Week posters from 1972 to the present here.
Image: Jeremy Morgan Worrall, the 2025 NAIDOC Week artist. Jeremy wears a black t-shirt with white lines cross the shoulders. The background is his art piece, 'Ancestral Lines'. Image from NITV.
Celebrating National NAIDOC Week
During the week-long celebration communities come together to engage in various activities, including cultural performances, art exhibitions, storytelling sessions, traditional ceremonies, and educational workshops.
We encourage you to embrace National NAIDOC Week as an opportunity to celebrate, learn, and share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture at local activities and events held across the country.
Ways you can support NAIDOC Week:
Attend a NAIDOC Week event online or in your local community.
Download and share the 2025 NAIDOC Week poster.
Download the Supporting NAIDOC Toolkit to help inspire your team, workplace, school, club or community group to celebrate.
Download the National NAIDOC Week Educational Resources and share what you learn with your friends and family.
Learn whose Country you are on at AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia.
Learn how to do an Acknowledgement of Country.
Check you are using respectful language for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Engage with campaigns that support Reconciliation.
By amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community voices and supporting initiatives that promote cultural preservation and empowerment, we can help build a more inclusive and just society.
Image: Life Without Barriers staff gather in a large group at the Awabakal Community NAIDOC March.
Beginning as a protest that drew attention to the dispossession and discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, NAIDOC Week has grown into a nationally recognised celebration that fosters pride, understanding, and unity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Each year, NAIDOC Week reinforces a vision for an Australia where First Nations voices are not only heard but lead the way. At Life Without Barriers, we are committed to this vision and to driving meaningful change by listening, and centring First Nations-led solutions in our work.
Together with millions of Australians, Life Without Barriers reaffirms our dedication to Reconciliation, understanding that unity is fundamental to a brighter future for all.
Image: A group of staff at the Life Without Barriers stall at a NAIDOC Event.
We encourage you to embrace NAIDOC Week as an opportunity to listen, learn, engage, and celebrate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. By recognising the importance of their cultural heritage and wisdom and supporting their vision for an Australia where Indigenous voices are not only heard but lead the way, we can build a nation that honours that embraces a future of Reconciliation.
Use #NAIDOC2025, #NAIDOCWeek, and #StrengthVisionLegacy on social media to share how you're celebrating and amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.
