Two Indigenous women have been named among this year's State Library of Queensland fellowship recipients, recognised for projects exploring truth-telling and shared histories.

Butchulla woman from the Wanamata clan, Dr Rose Barrowcliffe, received the Monica Clare Research Fellowship for her project 'The Protectors'.

She told National Indigenous Times the award will allow her to focus deeply on archival content.

"I'm hugely thankful and excited to have received the fellowship," she said.

"It gives me the opportunity to really go into record content and pull together all these loose threads."

Her research examines 1920s Queensland Protectorate records to uncover Aboriginal place names and challenge the colonial claim that they never existed.

"I'm interested in the fact that some responses said Aboriginal place names don't exist or Aboriginal people don't exist," she said.

"We all know that's not true because mob are still there today."

Dr Barrowcliffe said reconnecting language and country offers a powerful way to reclaim knowledge.

"When you learn the meaning of an Aboriginal place name, you're learning about the land, the food sources and the stories tied to that place," she said.

"Language underpins all culture, and place names show that people are speaking Aboriginal languages every day without realising it."

Dr Barrowcliffe added that being recognised among past recipients felt significant.

"I'm very flattered to have my research included among such incredible projects," she said.

"It's an honour to be part of that pool of work."

Thiithaar Warra woman, Lucy Deemal, received the John Oxley Library Fellowship for her project Two Stories, 'One Place: Aboriginal and Settler Memory' in North Queensland.

She said the fellowship gives her the chance to explore archives firsthand.

"I'm excited about being able to do this project properly with the support of the library," she said.

"Being an amateur and having access to people who've worked in the industry for 30 years is amazing."

Ms Deemal said visiting the John Oxley Library in person revealed a depth of context unavailable online.

"When you actually get the albums in front of you, it's completely different," she said.

"Some of it isn't digitised, and seeing photos together gives you better context for what they really show."

She hopes her research will help connect families and communities across histories.

"I hope we get to connect people - not just blackfellas but whitefellas as well," she said.

"We've lived side by side for 150 years, and I wish more people understood what we've been through."

Ms Deemal said restrictions around archival access make this work even more important.

"Sometimes you can't get access to records unless you can prove your connection, but you can't prove your connection without the records," she said.

"It's a catch-22 that makes reconnection really hard."

Her project aims to encourage others to begin that journey.

"I'm hoping this encourages people to start talking about our shared history," she said.

"We're a small community, and we've lived and worked together for generations - it's time we talked about it openly."

Other 2026 fellowship recipients include Dr Kaya Barry and Emily House for their Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) research; Monika O'Hanlon for the Rainbow Research Fellowship; Robert Allen for the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship; and Rachel Gallagher for the John Oxley Library Honorary Fellowship.

Janeth Dean OAM received the John Oxley Library Medal for documenting the stories of Queensland's Muslim communities, while the Pine Islet Preservation Society received the Community History Medal for its work maintaining the country's last kerosene-powered lighthouse.