General News
15 July, 2026
Sport awards first for city
THE 36th North Queensland Sport Star Awards are being held in Cairns for the first time.
The awards by the North Queensland Sports Foundation (HQSF), to be held at the Tanks Arts Centre on 17 October, are expected to attract about 260 participants, including athletes, sporting organisations, government dignitaries, business leaders, media representatives and community stakeholders.
“I’m excited to see this one here,” said Cr Rhonda Coghlan, who is NQSF chairwoman, during the June Cairns Regional Council meeting.
“I’ve been to six of these awards nights now and they are a gala event that attract dignitaries federally and from the state, as well as well-known athletes from around the country,” she said.
Council unanimously approved an amendment to the NQSF resource and performance agreement, to include an additional $45,000 ($16,092 in kind and $28,908 in cash) for the event delivery. “It’s a fabulous event, and I find it really hard to believe that in almost four decades we haven’t hosted it, so I think it’s time,” Cr Coghlan said.
The event would also “lean into” the Cairns 150th anniversary celebrations which would be a key focus for the event.
The event would be putting a lens over Cairns region’s reputation as a premier destination for women’s sport by including an induction of female athletes into the North Queensland Sports Hall of Fame.
Local female artists will also be enlisted to create “gallery-style” portraits of the senior awards finalists to be displayed at the Tanks Art Centre,
A proposed public mural will be commissioned to create a lasting community legacy celebrating Cairns sporting identity and recognising the contribution of local athletes and sporting leaders. The location is yet to be confirmed.
The event will include a strong female representation across award categories and event programming and introducing initiatives promoting women in leadership and business. The NQSF was established in 1983 through a partnership of North Queensland local governments to promote and develop sport throughout the region.
The CRC has been a member since its inception and maintains a resource and performance agreement with the organisation through to 30 June 2028.
The NQSF delivers several key regional initiatives including the North Queensland Games, the North Queensland Sport Star Awards (NQSSA), the Move It NQ campaign and the North Queensland Sports Hall of Fame.
In the meantime, Cairns is one on track to becoming the nation’s premier destination for women’s sport, following council’s endorsement of an ambitious 10-point action plan to attract elite competitions on the national and international stage.
The ‘Cairns the Premier Destination for Women’s Sport Action Plan’ key priorities are to secure major women’s sporting events, create a flagship annual event for the region, attract investment and ensure future sporting infrastructure supports women and girls at all levels.
