The Challenge Presented:

As Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair celebrates 20 years, our aim is to secure high-quality earned media coverage that highlights the Fair’s rich history, the significant sales generated through the event and its positive impact on Aboriginal communities across Australia – while also shining a spotlight on the work, stories and cultural significance of the First Nations Art Centres and artists represented by DAAF.

Prior to DAAF, we also worked to secure top tier coverage for Country to Couture and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards, celebrating First Nations fashion and profiling the stories and work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designers, models and spokespeople.

The Strategy Created:

This year presented a valuable opportunity to broaden the storytelling around Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair by exploring the Fair’s impact over the past 20 years and speaking with multiple Art Centres participating on the ground.

To ensure we are sharing the strongest stories and generating rich PR in the lead up to and during the week of DAAF, an audit is undertaken to unearth the best stories within the 75+ Art Centres and 25+ designers we have access to, securing regional and metro coverage to profile the First Nations excellence, which underpins the Foundation.

To ensure quality coverage, we continue to grow and foster our media club, pitch personalised stories to key media, maintain relationships with titles such as The Guardian and Vogue and strengthen our content creator activity to generate DAAF online sales.

The Strength Achieved:

Through strategic pitching efforts, multiple high-impact earned media opportunities were secured in the lead-up to the events, including the front page of the Geelong Advertiser Saturday magazine, two double-page spreads in Vogue print and numerous case study features across radio and online.

During DAAF week, Vogue attended as part of our media family, while The Guardian captured content on Country. The ABC provided comprehensive coverage across national broadcast, radio and online, alongside a strong suite of in-depth interviews secured throughout the week with National Indigenous Times, The Age, NT News and Marie Claire. Additional content was also created with DAAF Foundation Community Ambassador Jessica Mauboy and Brooke Blurton.

This year, DAAF’s Opening Ceremony sold out for the first time, joining Country to Couture and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards as sell-out events in Darwin’s cultural calendar. The results of the Fair will be unveiled in October, providing a clearer picture of whether 2026 delivered another record-breaking year, with 100% of artwork sales continuing to go directly back to the communities DAAF represents.