The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and Telstra are calling for entries for pre-selection in the 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

South Mandurang resident and former winner of the award, Gayle Maddigan said the event profiled the excellent standard of fine art on an Indigenous level.

"It breaks the stereotypical perceptions that Aboriginal art is just dots," she said.

Gayle Maddigan's winning art piece, Remembered Ritual, is an abstract drawing that uses charcoal to represent burial grounds.

"(The competition) also allows Aboriginal people to have that international profile where art dealers travel to Australia for that particular event," she said.

The museum's director Anna Malgorzewicz said 2008 marked a special year for the awards as it would celebrate its silver jubilee.

"This year, we're expecting to receive more than 300 quality entries for pre-selection, with about 100 works to be selected for the award exhibition in August," she said.

Entries close on Friday, March 28.For further information, contact the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory on (08) 8999 8203.