AFTER producing hundreds of documentaries Maclean and Yaegl woman Pauline Clague has claimed the prestigious Stanley Hawes Award but she still says nothing compared to coming home.

Ms Clague said she was overwhelmed to receive the award which was presented to a person who makes an outstanding contribution to the documentary film sector in Australia.

"A lot of people I considered great mentors have won it in the past," she said.

"It's a huge honour."

Ms Clague is SBS's National Indigenous Television (NITV) commissioning editor and head of internal production.

She received the award for her work Our Stories, Our Way, Everyday which works with indigenous companies around Australia to produce 120 documentaries each year.

"Because people did not understand how big the concept was at the start, my friend and I shot the first 30 to get the template so people could understand what we were trying to achieve," Ms Clague said.

"We worked with 40 to 45 film-makers every year."

She said each day was designated a theme which focused on a different aspect of indigenous life; people stories, elders' stories, political, youth, community and language.

Ms Clague studied at the Australian Film TV and Radio School in the early 1990s before making documentaries for the ABC as well as freelance work before linking with NITV.

But while her career continues to flourish, it is her time at home that she cherishes most.

"I don't get home as often as I like. There is always Christmas and Easter," she said.

Ms Clague returned to Maclean after winning the Stanley to visit family.

"Coming home grounds me," she said.

Ms Clague said one of the best parts of her job was bringing people's homes and stories to life.

"Yaegl is where we come from," she said.

"Part of the reason why I did the big series on the national story is because all of our stories and all of our nations are important."