For more than 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have generated knowledge, cared for Country and passed wisdom from one generation to the next. Long before universities existed, our Old People were scientists, teachers, healers and innovators whose expertise sustained the oldest continuing cultures on Earth.

Today, a new generation of Indigenous scholars is reclaiming space within institutions that once overlooked those knowledges, ensuring our voices help shape Australia's future rather than simply informing it.

That legacy was recognised at the 2026 Darwin NAIDOC Awards when proud Mbabaram woman and descendant of Keriri Island in the Torres Strait, Sharna Motlap, was named Scholar of the Year.

The award celebrates an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman carrying the wisdom of her Ancestors into spaces where Indigenous perspectives have too often been excluded, helping ensure our people are leading conversations about health, climate change, food security and caring for Country.

For Ms Motlap, the recognition is not an individual achievement but a reflection of everyone who has walked beside her.

"Receiving the Darwin NAIDOC Scholar of the Year award is a tremendous honour and something I accept with deep gratitude and humility," she said.

"As a proud Aboriginal woman and Torres Strait Islander woman, this recognition reflects the support of my family, community, mentors and Ancestors who have guided and supported me throughout my journey."

She says the award also belongs to the generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose courage challenged systems that denied our people access to education, leadership and decision-making.

"Everything I have been fortunate enough to achieve wouldn't even have been possible if it wasn't for the efforts of those who came before me and fought for our rights to learn and have our voices heard."

As a Research Fellow with Charles Darwin University's Northern Institute and the Healthy Environments and Lives Network, Ms Motlap's work explores Indigenous health, climate change and traditional food systems, demonstrating that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems continue to offer solutions to today's challenges.

While her work has taken her from communities across Australia to international research collaborations, Ms Motlap remains grounded in one simple belief: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must lead the conversations that directly affect their lives.

"First Nations people need to be leading this research because our communities hold the knowledge, lived experience and cultural authority that are essential to understanding these issues," she said.

"When we tell our own stories, we ensure that Indigenous knowledges and perspectives are respected and represented accurately."

Grounded in accountability to mob, Ms Motlap believes research must strengthen communities and be led by culture, lived experience and Country.

She credits her family and the Indigenous leaders before her with teaching that success in higher education should never come at the expense of culture.

This year's NAIDOC theme, 50 Years of Deadly, honours five decades of celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander excellence while recognising those who fought for justice, self-determination and the right for our voices to be heard. For Ms Motlap, her recognition is one small part of a much larger story, built on generations of people who challenged barriers so others could follow.

She sees her work as continuing that legacy by ensuring Indigenous knowledges are respected in research, policy and practice, while helping create pathways for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to lead within universities, governments and institutions. Every achievement, she believes, carries an obligation to open doors for others.

She hopes more young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will see themselves in research and leadership without feeling they must leave culture behind. Representation reminds young mob they belong wherever decisions about their future are made.

Long before universities, our Old People were teachers, scientists, healers and innovators. That truth has never changed. What has changed is that more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are reclaiming space within institutions that once overlooked our expertise, ensuring our knowledge systems are recognised for the value they have always held.

Sharna Motlap is part of that movement. Her recognition as Darwin NAIDOC Scholar of the Year is about far more than academic success. It reflects the strength of Indigenous intellectual leadership, the resilience of our cultures and the determination of a generation ensuring our stories are told by us, our expertise is respected and our young people can see themselves shaping Australia's future.

"My message is simple: you belong," she said.

"Your culture, your experiences and your knowledge are strengths."