2023 Art Prize
Terms & Conditions

The WAMA Art Prize invites a multi-disciplinary range of nature inspired Australian artists, to celebrate their connectivity with nature and raise awareness of the importance of conserving our precious and unique Australian environment.

The WAMA Art Prize is a biennial award and exhibition showcasing wildlife and nature-inspired art created on or with paper.

AWARDS

The major prize is an Acquisitive Prize of $15,000
Three Awards of Excellence, of $2,500 each (non-acquisitive)
The People’s Choice Award of $2,500 (non-acquisitive)

KEY DATES

1 April – Entries open

19 May – Entries close

TBC – Finalists notified

31 July – 6 August – Finalists’ works to be delivered to WAMA

19 August – Exhibition opens at Ararat Gallery TAMA

19 August – Online exhibition opens www.wama.net.au 

26 August – Acquisitive Prize and Awards of Excellence announced

26 August – People’s Choice voting opens to public

10 November – People’s Choice voting closes

12 November – People’s Choice Award announced

19 November – Gallery exhibition closes

23 – 24 November – Finalists works to be collected, unless sold

30 November – Online exhibition closes

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Entries close: 19 May 2023, 5pm  

Applications must be received online on or before this time. Late entries will not be considered.

Artists must be residing primarily in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are encouraged to apply.

For the purposes of this prize, a “work on paper” is defined as a work made on or with paper as the primary medium. This work may be two or three dimensional.

Photography is not an accepted medium.

There is not a size limit on the artwork, however finalist artworks will be expected to be suitable to exhibit in a gallery setting.

All works submitted for the Award must be original works by the artist whose name appears on the entry form, and completed in 2022 or 2023

By entering this prize, the artist confirms that that their artwork does not infringe on the copyright of anyone else.

There is a limit of two entries per artist. A receipt will be issued for each entry. Please note that only one artwork per artist will be selected for exhibition.

Artists must submit this entry form with:

• A non-refundable administration fee of $33 (incl. GST)
• A one-page Curricumlum Vitae
• An artist’s statement about each work submitted (up to 150 words each).  A maximum of two artist statements may be uploaded – one for each work.
• Up to two images of each of the actual work/s must be submitted and one of these must represent the work in its entirety for judging (upto 4 images, if submitting 2 works). 
• The image must be a high resolution (300dpi) JPG or PNG digital file.
• The file size of each image is not to exceed 10MB. 
• Only JPG/PNG images will be accepted.

File names are to be in the following format:

• SURNAME_FIRSTNAME_IMAGETITLE
• SURNAME_FIRSTNAME_STATEMENT
• SURNAME_FIRSTNAME_CV

Entries are to be submitted online via the WAMA website https://wama.net.au/wama-art-prize/ via registration and the Artist Portal. If you require support in submitting online, or have access needs, please contact WAMA by email art@wama.net.au 

WAMA employees, members of WAMA’s Art Advisory Council and members of the WAMA Foundation Ltd’s Board are ineligible to enter the prize.

Additional support material that is not requested will not be accepted or returned.

The artwork details entered on the WAMA Art Prize, Works on Paper entry form are final and no changes can be made.

PRE-SELECTION

A pre-selection committee including a member of WAMA’s Art Advisory Council will select the finalists. Only artworks chosen as finalists will be exhibited.

Please note, no substitutes for works entered will be accepted and no correspondence will be entered into once the decision is reached and applicants have been notified.

The Selection Criteria for finalists (and the winning work) will include consideration of the goals of WAMA, in particular to foster inspiration, exploration and celebrate the interconnection between art and the natural environment.

EXHIBITION

This exhibition will be displayed at Ararat Gallery TAMA from Saturday 19 August to Sunday 19 November, and on WAMA’s website https://wama.net.au with a ticketed opening event and announcement of winners at the gallery on Saturday 26th August.

Finalists’ works are to be delivered to Stawell (address will be provided in finalists’ notification) during the week starting 31 July to 6 August.

Delivery and collection of works are to be organised by artist.

All works submitted must be available for purchase through the exhibition.

All quoted sales prices must include sales commission and GST (where applicable)

WAMA Foundation Ltd will receive 20% of sale price as commission on each sale.

All unsold works are to be collected from Ararat Gallery TAMA during their business hours on 23 and 24 November, unless prior arrangements are made through art@wama.met.au

JUDGING

The panel of judges for the Award will include:

• Dr Vicki Couzens, artist
• Robert Nelson, art historian and art critic
• Suzanne Davies, contemporary art gallery director, and 
• Dr Jacqueline Healy, Chair, WAMA Art Advisory Council

The judging panel shall solely determine the prizewinning entry. However, the judging panel and WAMA’s Art Advisory Council reserve the right not to award the prize.

The judging panel’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. (See Judging Criteria)

REPRODUCTION OF WORKS AND STATEMENTS

Copyright of the artwork remains the property of the entrant. Finalists specifically permit and authorise WAMA to reproduce their work and artist’s statement by print of electronic/social media for publicity purposes, reports, catalogues and any other publications and promotion related to WAMA for a period of five years from the exhibition closing date. Due attribution will be made to the artist.