These categories honour the depth, diversity, and brilliance of Indigenous beauty across the world.

Product Excellence

Best Skincare Product
Celebrating outstanding formulation, performance, and cultural integrity in skincare.

Best Haircare Product
Honouring products rooted in Indigenous ingredients, rituals, and hair traditions.

Best Body Product
Recognising body care that nourishes, protects, and uplifts through ancestral knowledge.

Best Fragrance
For scents inspired by land, lineage, botanicals, and cultural storytelling.

Cultural Leadership

Best Indigenous Storytelling
Honouring brands whose narrative, whakapapa, and cultural grounding shape their identity.

Best Use of Indigenous Ingredients
Recognising ethical sourcing, community partnership, and ingredient innovation.

Best Cultural Packaging & Design
Celebrating visual identity that honours culture with respect, artistry, and intention.

Impact & Innovation

Community Impact Award
For brands creating meaningful change within their communities.

Sustainability Award
Recognising environmental responsibility, regenerative practices, and circular design.

Innovation Award
For brands pushing boundaries in formulation, technology, or cultural expression.

Founder & Brand Awards

Emerging Brand of the Year
For new brands showing exceptional promise, purpose, and cultural leadership.

Established Brand of the Year
For brands with a proven track record of excellence and impact.

Youth Founder Award

(18-25 years old)
Celebrating young Indigenous founders shaping the future of beauty.

The Indigenous Beauty Awards were created to spotlight the brands, founders, and communities who are redefining beauty through culture, storytelling, and ancestral knowledge.
From Aotearoa to the Pacific, Turtle Island to Latin America, the Arctic Circle to Africa and beyond Indigenous beauty is rising.
These awards exist to honour that rise, amplify Indigenous excellence, and create a global platform where our stories, ingredients, and innovations are recognised with the respect they deserve.

The Indigenous Beauty Awards are open to:

• Indigenous-owned beauty, skincare, haircare, fragrance, and wellness brands
• Brands working with Indigenous ingredients in ethical, transparent partnership with communities
• Indie beauty brands whose work aligns with cultural integrity, sustainability, and community impact

Entries are welcome from all countries and regions.

Entering the Indigenous Beauty Awards is simple.
Follow the steps below to submit your product or brand for consideration.

Follow the steps below to submit your product or brand for consideration.

Step 1 — Choose Your Categories

Select the categories that best represent your product, brand, or story.
You may enter multiple categories.

Step 2 — Complete the Entry Form

Provide your brand details, product information, images, and cultural context.
This helps our judges understand the heart of your work.

Step 3 — Pay Your Entry Fee

Your entry is confirmed once payment is received.
Fees are non‑refundable and support the administration of the awards.

Step 4 — Judging

Entries are reviewed by a global panel of Indigenous and industry experts.

Step 5 — Finalists & Winners Announced

Finalists will be announced publicly, followed by a digital awards ceremony.

Entry Fees & Key Dates

Entry Fees

• Early Bird: $180 NZD
• Standard: $250 NZD
• Late Entry: $320 NZD

Fees are per category. Brands may enter multiple categories.

Key Dates

• Entries Open: 23rd March 2026
• Early Bird Ends: 25th April 2026
• Entries Close: 30th May 2026
• Judging Period: 30th May - 10th June 2026
• Finalists Announced: 11th June 2026
• Winners Announced: 20th June 2026

The Indigenous Beauty Awards are judged by a global panel of Indigenous founders, cultural leaders, beauty experts, and industry specialists.
Each judge brings deep knowledge, lived experience, and cultural grounding to the evaluation process.

Rawinia Rimene

Founder & CEO of Girl Native

Tribal affiliation(s) - Whakatohea, Rangitane, Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepuhunga, Ngāti Kahungungu ki Wairarapa

Rawinia is the founder of Girl Native, a platform dedicated to elevating Indigenous beauty, culture, and storytelling across Aotearoa and the world. Based in Porirua, she champions Indigenous excellence by spotlighting Māori, Pasifika, and global Indigenous beauty brands, and creating pathways for Indigenous founders to be seen, valued, and celebrated. Her work blends cultural integrity with modern entrepreneurship, shaping a new narrative for Indigenous beauty that honours whakapapa, land, and community. Through Girl Native and the Indigenous Beauty Awards, she is building a global movement that uplifts Indigenous voices and redefines what beauty looks like.

Jenn Harper

Founder & CEO, Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC

Tribal Affiliation/s: Ojibwe from Northwest Angle #33 reservation in Kenora, ON, Canada.

Jenn Harper is the founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty, a cosmetics brand focused on sustainability and supporting Indigenous communities. Since its 2015 launch, the brand has grown significantly, securing major retail partnerships and donating over $250,000 to charity. Jenn has earned widespread recognition, including being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

Links: https://www.cheekbonebeauty.com/https://www.jennharper.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-harper-0b200a23/

Social Media:
@cheekbonebeauty @cheekbonejenn

Tiila Abbitt

Founder ATHR Beauty & Former US Regional Manager Sephora

I am a strategic leader in beauty and wellness with over 20 years of experience driving product innovation, sustainability, and global growth. I’ve launched 500+ products, generated up to $180M in revenue, and held leadership roles at Sephora and SellerX, as well as founding and selling ATHR Beauty. My expertise spans product development, sourcing, and scaling brands across DTC, retail, and Amazon. I’m deeply committed to advancing purpose-led brands that reflect cultural integrity and environmental responsibility.

Kaye-Maree Dunn

Co-Founder Making Everything Achievable

Tribal affiliation(s) - Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Mahanga, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāi Te Rangikoianaake

Kaye-MareeDunn, co-founder of Making Everything Achievable, is a renowned Māori tech entrepreneur. She leads Ahau NZ and IndigitalBlockchain andis involved with the North Hokianga Development Trust and Āhau Tātai Hono Trust, and is a Sir Edmund Hillary Fellow. With over 24 years dedicated to Māori and community development, her career has included roles with Child, Youth and Family, the Department of Labour, Māori Land Court, and NZ Māori Tourism. Active in Te Whare Hukahuka, she supports the development of transformative capability within Aotearoa’s economic landscape. Recognised as Māori Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, her recent focus includes Social Enterprise Development and Governance Training. She is also a recipient of the Te Pou Whirinaki Business Collaboration Award at the MWDI Māori Business Women Awards 2025 and is grateful and humbled by the recognition, describing her work as an impact enterprise built around what she loves most: connecting people, building relationships, getting under the iceberg, and bringing diverse communities together to help make what they want achievable.

Links:

MEA website -mea.nz 

Tedx talk -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipj6d1qqlX0  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayemareedunn

Shae Parsons

Miss Earth New Zealand 2025, AI & Data Strategy Consultant — specialising in enterprise AI adoption, data governance, and the intersection of emerging technology with Indigenous data sovereignty. Contributor to national AI policy conversations through the AI Forum New Zealand.

Tribal affiliation(s) - Ngāti Porou

Shae Parsons is an AI and data strategy consultant at Qrious and an active contributor to the AI Forum New Zealand. She holds a Master of Computer and Information Sciences (First Class Honours) with research specialising in transformer architectures, and applies that foundation across enterprise AI adoption, data governance, and Māori data sovereignty.
Shae is Miss Earth New Zealand 2025 and has volunteered with organisations including Para Kore, Selwyn Village, and the Kaipatiki Project — reflecting a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and community wellbeing. She is recognised as a bridge between technology, governance, and Indigenous innovation, and brings both commercial rigour and cultural grounding to the spaces she contributes to.

Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shaeparsons
AUT Student Profile: aut.ac.nz/student-profiles/shae-parsons
Instagram: instagram.com/shaemiriamai

TERMS

• Entry fees are non‑refundable.
• Entries must be submitted with full and accurate information.
• Judges’ decisions are final and confidential.
• By entering, you grant permission for Girl Native to feature your brand, images, and story in awards-related promotion.
• Brands are responsible for ensuring they have rights to all materials submitted.
• Girl Native reserves the right to adjust categories or judging processes if required.
• Entries that do not align with cultural integrity or ethical standards may be disqualified.

FAQ

Can non‑Indigenous brands enter?
Yes — if they work with Indigenous ingredients ethically and transparently, or if their work aligns with cultural integrity and community impact.

Can I enter multiple categories?
Yes. Each category requires a separate entry and fee.

Are entry fees refundable?
No. All fees are final and support the administration of the awards.

Do I need to send physical products?
No. This is a digital-first awards programme.
If physical samples are required for a specific category, we will contact you.

How are winners chosen?
Entries are scored independently by our judging panel using the published criteria.

Will winners receive a badge?
Yes — winners and finalists receive a premium digital badge for marketing, packaging, and retail use.