Registrations have opened for UniSport Australia's 2026 Indigenous Nationals, a multi-sport event which will be held at the University of Newcastle on Awabakal and Worimi Country.
The 30th iteration of the tournament will bring together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students from across the country for mixed competition in touch football, basketball, netball, and volleyball from 29 June to 3 July.
Now known as the Indigenous Nationals, the tournament was first established in 1996 as the National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games through a joint class project by 13 students enrolled in a Diploma of Aboriginal Studies (Community Recreation) at the then Wollotuka School for Aboriginal Studies at the University of Newcastle.
This year, the event is returning to where it began.
Held as an annual week-long competition, the Indigenous Nationals are aimed at bringing Indigenous student-athletes together through sport, while also creating space for cultural exchange and connection.
The 2026 event follows another strong year for the University of Newcastle, which claimed back-to-back titles at the 2025 Indigenous Nationals held at the University of Western Australia.
More than 500 Indigenous student-athletes and university staff from 31 universities took part in the 2025 tournament, which was held across the same four sports and included cultural activities alongside the competition.
The University of Newcastle secured the overall 2025 title with 160 points, finishing ahead of Australian Catholic University on 143 and Queensland University of Technology on 129.
Its campaign was driven by strong performances in basketball and touch football.
University of Newcastle team captain, Leroy Reid, said the group was proud to defend its title.
"It's a great feeling to get the win again this year," Reid said.
"Getting back-to-back wins is a big achievement for the team and we're all really relieved to get to that stage.
"It's a massive fun competition and we love hanging out with all the mob, getting to show your competitive side on top of that is something our team really loves, as well as making the connections."
The 2025 basketball final saw Newcastle defeat Monash University 32-23, while its touch football side won a close final against the University of Sydney 6-5 in overtime.
Newcastle fell short in netball, losing the gold medal match to Australian Catholic University, while Monash University won the volleyball final over Queensland University of Technology.
Edith Cowan University received the 2025 Spirit of the Games award, which is voted on by team managers and UniSport staff.
The 2026 Indigenous Nationals will again place sport alongside culture and community as universities prepare to gather in Newcastle for the milestone event.
Students must contact their university sport department before registering to secure a team registration code.
Registrations can be made via the UniSport website.
