12 Canoes was awarded Best Indigenous Resource and a finalist place for Best Multimedia at the 2009 Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) awards. ATOM is a professional organisation of media educators and industry professionals who are dedicated to the ongoing development of an innovative and diverse screen and media culture in Australia. The ATOM Awards were established in 1982 by the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) – an independent, non-profit association promoting media education and screen literacy in primary, secondary and tertiary education and the broader community.

Each year, the ATOM Awards recognise excellence in over thirty categories of Film, Television, Animation and Multimedia and celebrate the very best of Australian and New Zealand production.