Bayside Painting Prize

The Bayside Painting Prize is nationally recognised as Melbourne’s premier painting prize. The finalist exhibition brings together a broad range of artists from across Australia, both established and lesser known, whose varied approaches to the painted medium conveys the breadth and diversity of painting in Australia today.

Prizes

• $25,000 Major Prize (non-acquisitive)
• $10,000 Beckett Local Prize (acquisitive)
• $1,000 People’s Choice Award

Judges

• The judges for the 2026 prize are:
• Jacqueline Doughty, Assistant Director – Curatorial, Art Gallery of Ballarat
• Dr Shelley McSpedden, Senior Curator & Head of Exhibitions, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
• Joanna Bosse, Curator, Bayside Gallery

Important dates

• Call for entries open: Saturday 1 November 2025
• Applications close: 5pm, Friday 20 February 2026
• Selection notification: By Friday 20 March 2026
• Artwork delivery to Bayside Gallery: Wednesday 22 April – Friday 24 April 2026
• Opening event at Bayside Gallery: Thursday 30 April 2026
• Finalist exhibition at Bayside Gallery: Friday 1 May – Sunday 14 June 2026
• Artwork collection from Bayside Gallery: Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 June 2026

Important links

To enter, or for further information, including terms & conditions, please visit baysidepaintingprize.com.au.

Follow Bayside Gallery on Facebook and Instagram: @baysidegallery

Image credit: Bayside Painting Prize 2025, installation view, Bayside Gallery. Photo: Mark Ashkanasy.