Australian Art Competitions & Art Prizes

My first art prize, as an adult, was for a funny little print experiment, in the local Show. Your local agricultural and pastoral Show may be the best place to start with art competitions. You'll have that sense of satisfaction that you've entered an art competition, and possibly the thrill of winning a (small) art prize. The entry fee will most probably be small, too.

Your next step may be a Shire wide competition, possibly run by your local Shire, perhaps in conjunction with a local art society.

I've recently spent several hours researching Australian art competitions & art prizes. I've added in the entry fees where I could find them, but remember that the entry fee will most likely increase each year. I've also noted in the state for each contest.

The following art competitions are listed in approximate order of entry closure:

* Hutchins Works on Paper Art Prize: TAS, $15,000 first prize, total prize money $18,000, entry fee $40, entries close 15th June.

* Touch of Red III: VIC, $1,000 prize, red must be present in every artwork, entry fee $15, entries close 10th June.

* Warringah Art Exhibition: NSW, $3,575 in awards, entry fee $10, entries close 26th June.

* The Basil Sellers Art Prize: VIC, $100,000 acquisitive, plus $5,000 People's Choice, open theme of sport, entry fee $33, entries close 29th June.

* Willoughby Art Prize: NSW, $14,000 prize pool, entry fee $25, entries close July.

* Mosman Art Prize: NSW, $20,000 major acquisitive prize, entry fee $40, entries close 16th July.

* He Who Dreams: VIC, prizes are exhibitions in three galleries, open to male artists only, entry fee $10, entries close 23rd July.

* Flying Arts Regional Art Awards: QLD, $3,000 acquisitive, $2,000 for 12-25 yrs, $1,000 Viewer's Choice, group exhibition, bursaries, etc, open only to REGIONAL Queensland and northern New South Wales residents, excludes artists currently residing in the Brisbane City Council area and south of Armidale in New South Wales, entry fee $27.50, entries close 27th July.

* The Memento Australia Awards: $30,000+ prize pool, create innovative, quality and authentic mementos for the tourism and retail gift markets that reflect the unique character and spirit of Australia, entry fee $55, entries close 31st July.

* Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale: SA, $50,000 first prize, awards total $90,000, Australian landscape, also smaller prizes for food/wine industry art, water theme,Fleurieu Peninsular landscape, etc, entries close July 2008.

* Hinchinbrook Acquisitive Art Competition: QLD, major prize $1,000 non acquisitive, entry fee $10, entries close August.

* Warwick Art Prize: QLD $5,000 acquisitive prize, $7,750 total prize pool, entry fee $27.50, entries close 10th August.

* Clemenger Contemporary Art Award: VIC, $30,000 prize, triennial, entries close August 2009.

* Banyule Works on Paper: VIC, $4,000 acquisitive prize, biennial, entry fee $25, entries close 3rd August.

* Artworkers Award: QLD, a $5,000 acquisitive prize, & two highly commended non-acquisitive prizes, open to all Qld visual artists, entry fee $20, entries close 6th August.

* Freemasons Art Exhibition: SA, $1,500 prize for art best expressing the philosophy of freemasonry. Entry fee for general exhibits (no prizes) is $20 per 8' x 6' single sided art frame (for as many of your artworks as will fit). Entries close 17th August.

* 2007 Border Art Prize: QLD/NSW, $5,000+ in prizes, open to all artists from these Shires: Tweed, Gold Coast City, Beaudesert, Redland, Lismore, Kyogle, Byron, and Logan City. Entry fee $20, entries close 31st August.

* Conrad Jupiters Art Prize: QLD, an annual $15,000 (or is it $20,000?)competition run by the Gold Coast City Art Gallery. Entry fee $20? Entries close in September.

* QRWN Cultural Competition: QLD, $400 first prize, Queensland Rural Women's Network, open to all Qld women, 16 & over, entry fee $11, entries close in September.

* The Corangamarah Art Prize ‘CONCEIT 07’: VIC, $5,000 acquisitive art prize, entries close 3rd September.

* Eutick Memorial Still Life Award: VIC, $10,000 major acquisitive award, entry fee $20, entries close 14th September.

* City of Whyalla Art Prize: SA, $25,000 prize money, biennial, entry fee $22? Entries close 28th September.

* Comalco Martin Hanson Memorial Art Award: QLD, $13,700 in prizes, entry fee $11, entries close in October.

* Metro 5 Art Award: VIC, $40,000 acquisitive, plus $10,000 People's Choice acquisitive, artists must be 35 years of age or under on 15/02/08? entry fee ?, entries close in October.

* Ergon Energy Central Queensland Art Award: QLD, $10,000 acquisitive major award, biennial, entry fee $30, entries close in October 2008.

* Paddington Art Prize: NSW, $20,000 acquisitive prize, contemporary paintings inspired by the Australian landscape, entry fee $40 , entries close 6th November.

* Stanthorpe Art Prize: QLD, $15,000 acquisition, $20,500 prize pool, biennial, entry fee $30.00, entries close 21st November.

* John Glover Prize: TAS, $30,000, Tasmanian landscape, entry fee $, entries close January?

* Bald Archy: $5,000 acquisitive prize, portrait paintings of humour, dark satire, light comedy or caricature, judged by Maude, a cockatoo?! Entry fee $?, entries close in January.

* The Archibald Prize: NSW, $35,000, + People's Choice $3,500, portrait of person distinguished in Art, Letters, Science, or Politics, entry fee $ , entries close in February.

* Wynne Prize: NSW, $15,000, landscape painting or figure sculpture, entry fee $ , entries close in February.

* Sulman Prize: NSW, $10,000, subject/ genre painting and/or mural work, entry fee $ , entries close in February.

* Outback Spirit Ergon Energy Waltzing Matilda Art Show and Competition: QLD, major awards of $7,000, entries close in February.

* Doug Moran National Portrait Prize: NSW, $100,000, the richest portrait prize in the world, both painters and subjects must be Australian citizens, now annual, entry fee $50, entries close in February.

* Sunshine Coast Art Prize: QLD, a $15,000 aquisitive prize + a 4 week Maleny residency (at Arley Farm) worth up to $5,000 + a People's Choice non acquisitive $2,000 award. Open to all Australian 2D artists. Entry fee $25, entries close in March.

* Camberwell Rotary Art Show: VIC, $20,000 first prize, prize pool over $56,000, entry fee $20, entries close in March.

* The Churchie National Emerging Artists Award: QLD, $5,000 prize, entrants must prove they are emerging artists, entry fee $30 for 1-3 works, entries close in March.

* The Gallipoli Art Prize: NSW, $15,000 acquisitive prize, art must depict the spirit of Gallipoli, entry fee $20, entries close in March.

* Emerald's Central Highlands Easter Sunflower Festival Art Competition: QLD, $ , entry fee $, entries close in March/April?

* Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize: VIC, $50,000 cash prize, biennial, entry fee $, entries close April 2009?

* Sarina Art Extravaganza: QLD, $13,817 prize pool, entry fee $, entries close in April.

* Pine Rivers Art Awards: QLD, $10,000 prize pool, entry fee $15, entries close April.

* Capricorn Coast Art Festival: QLD, $12,000+ in prizes, major prize $5,000 entry fee $15, entries close in April.

* Chelsea Annual Art Show: VIC, over $6,000 in prizes, entries close in May(?).

* Tattersall's Club Landscape Art Award: QLD, $20,000 acquisitive award, + $5,000 Members' Choice, $44 entry fee, entries close in May.

* The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize: SA, $85,000 total prize pool, $30,000 first prize, acquisitive, $33 entry fee, entries close in May.

* Rotary Club of Blackwood Art & Photography Show: SA, total prize pool $4,250 non acquisitive, $10 entry fee, entries closed 1st June.

Please let me know of any major art competition - especially Qld ones - that you can see I've missed? Thank-you.

If you'd like to investigate further, Brad Buchel, site administrator of www.artforum.com.au, has published this (incomplete?!) list of Australian art competitions:

Art on the Rocks
Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize
Australian Artist Magazine Art Prize
Bega Valley Art Awards
Berrima District Art Society
Blackheath Rhododendron Festival Inc. Art Show
Blake Prize for Religious Art Painting
Bunbury Biennale Painting
Burdekin Art Society inc.
Busselton Agricultural Show
Canberra Art Prize Painting
Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Canning Art Award Painting
Capricorn Coast Art Festival
Cardinia Yakkerboo Festival Art Show
Character of Bellingen Art Prize
City of Albany Art Prize
City of Belmont Art Awards
City of Hobart Art Prize
City of Ryde Art Award
City of Wanneroo Art Awards
City of Whyalla Art Prize
Coffs Harbour City Art & Craft Exhibition
Conrad Jupiter’s Gold Coast Art Prize
Cossack (Acquisitive) Art Ward
Cromwell’s Art Prize Painting
Cross Art Prize
Currabubula Red Cross Art Exhibition
Daffodil Day Arts Awards Painting
Darebin-La Trobe Acquisitive Art Prize
Downlands College Art Exhibition
Dromana Art Show
Echuca Moama Artists
Emerald Annual Arts Competition
Environmental Art Award
Ergon Energy Award
Ernest Henry memorial Art Contest
Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
Fleurieu Peninsular Biennale
Gatton Shire Art Awards
Geelong Contemporary Art Prize
Godfest Christian Art Prize
Gold Rush Art Competition
Gruner Prize
Harvest Art Award
Heritage City Art Festival
Heysen Prize for Australian Landscapes
Hichinbrook Acquisitive Art Competition
Hornsby Art Society Awards & Art Exhibition
Hunters Hill Art & Craft Exhibition
Inverell Art Prize
James Farrell Self Portrait Award
James Kiwi Watercolour Art prize
John Leslie Art Prize
Katanning Art Prize
Katherine Prize
Kempsey Shire Art Prize
Kenilworth Celebrates: Arts Festival
Kernewek Lowender Art Prize
Kiama Art Society Annual Exhibition
Kimberly Art Prize
Korumburra Rotary Art Show
Lane Cove Municipal Art Award
Leaf Art Prize and Exhibition
Liverpool City Arts Festival
Maleny Art Award & Exhibition
Mandorla Art Award for Contemporary Religious Art
Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards
Matthew Flinders Art Competition
Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize
Metro 5 Art Award
Minnawarra Festival Art Award
Mosman Art Prize
Mount Waverly Art Show
Mungindi Art Competition
Muswellbrook Open Art Prize
Naidoc National Art Award
Newcastle Art Space Annual Emerging Artist Prize
Nifsan Gold Coast City Signature Art Award
Nillumbik Prize
North Midland Agricultural Society Art Exhibition
North Newtown Art Show
North Sydney Art Prize
Northam Art Prize
Parramatta Foundation Week Open Art Awards
Perth Royal Show-Open Art Exhibition
Pine Rivers Art Awards
Portia Geach Memorial Award
Red Ochre Award
Redlands Westpac Art Prize
Rotary Club of Alexander Easter Show
Rotary Club of Cobram Annual Art Show
Rotary Club of Portland Annual Art Exhibition
Rotary Club of Victor Harbour Art Show
Royal Melbourne Show Art & Craft Competition Painting
Royal Queensland Show
Sarina Visual Arts Competition
Sawtell Art Group Annual Exhibition
Scone Art Prize
Shell Agricultural Art Award
Shire of Mundaring Art Acquisition
Shoalhaven Art Society Open Art Exhibition
Singleton Art Prize
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Invitation Art Prize
Stanthorpe Arts Festival
Streeton, Roberts & McCubbin Award
Sydney Royal Easter Show Art Exhibition
The Alice Prize
The Alvaro Painting Prize
The Archibald Art Prize
The Bald Archy Prize
The Border Art Prize
The John Glover Prize
The Sir John Sulman Prize
The Wynne Prize
Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival
Town of Basseden Art Exhibition
Town of Mosman Park Purchase Award
Tuggeranong Regional Art Prize
Tumut Art Show
Tyres Primary School Arts Festival
Wagin Woolorama Art Show
Walkom Manning Art Prize
Warwick Art Prize
Waterhouse Natural History Art
Waverly Art Prize
Weston Art Show
Willoughby City Art Prize
York Art & Craft Awards

ArtCare Courier Service shows a 6 monthly calendar of NSW & VIC art exhibitions.

This Australian art gallery website has a large list of art competitions, with details of prizes and fees, but no links.

Apparently the Australian Artist magazine features a pretty comprehensive list each month.

Australian Art Review publishes art competitions in calendar format, I believe.

NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts), Sydney based, publishes a book of ALL art prizes in Australia.