Redheads Australia has a proud history of supporting the development of art and artistic expression in Australia. Over many decades, the company has run numerous art-based competitions, awarded monetary prizes to artists, and printed the artwork of dozens of Australian artists on our matchboxes, exposing their work to a nationwide audience and providing a fun outlet for creative expression and design.

Our recent Art Strikes Back competition attracted over 900 artist entries. Following the announcement of the finalists and winner, some members of the public raised concerns about the use of Indigenous motifs and themes by select entrants who may not themselves be of an Indigenous background.

Redheads Australia regrets and would like to apologise for any harm or hurt to any artist or member of a First Nations community which may have been caused as a result of the concerns raised. We believe that all artists who entered the competition acted in good faith in creating their artworks and in the spirit of a fun competition for artistic expression. The contest winner has volunteered to modify her artwork to remove any Indigenous iconography/ochre facepaint. We support and respect that decision.

Redheads Australia and the artists concerned have agreed that their artworks will not be printed on Redheads matchboxes.

Looking ahead, Redheads Australia will continue to reflect on this experience as we shape future creative initiatives. While we remain committed to supporting diverse artistic expression in all forms, we will also remain open to ongoing conversation with our community to ensure our initiatives continue to provide a positive, fun and respectful platform for creativity and championing individual artist expression.