Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The first Deadlys were held in 1995, at the Boomalli Artist Co-op in the Redfern suburb of Sydney. The Deadly Awards originated as the Deadly Sounds music and culture radio show at the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-op in Redfern in 1993. They stemmed from an idea of the late Gavin Jones (1966-2014). Later venues included The Metro Theatre, the Hard Rock Café, Home in Darling Harbour and Fox Studios; since 2001 the event has been held at the Sydney Opera House, hosted by Vibe Australia and broadcast by SBS Television. There are now additional venues in other states.

The awards have expanded beyond their original music focus, to include sport, entertainment, the arts, health, education and training in the Indigenous Australian community. Winners are nominated and voted on by the public. The word "Deadly" is a modern colloquialism used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to indicate "cool, rockin, fantastic".