Wyndham Art Prize

Image: Arrayah Loynd, Dissociated #1 (diptych) 2023. Archival pigment print on cotton rag, 100 x 150 x 5cm

Medium:

painting, sculpture, photography, video, works on paper and digital media.

Prize values and categories:

First Prize: $15,000

Second Prize: $10,000

Third Prize: $8,000

Local Emerging Artist Prize (acquisitive): $5,000

People’s Choice Award: $2,500

 

Important dates and deadlines:

Entries open 1 August to 3 October 2025

Exhibition: 19 January to 22 March 2026

Submission requirements:

Artwork entered into the competition must:

a) have been completed after 1 January 2020

b) be available for display at the Wyndham Art Gallery between 19 January to 22 March 2026

c) be no larger than 1.5m x 1m in dimension;

d) weigh no more than 10 kilograms

e) be professionally prepared for hanging and/or installation; and

f) be clearly marked on the reverse with the entrant’s name, address and the title of the artwork.

 

Whether you’re an emerging or an established artist, the Wyndham Art Prize (WAP) 2026 invites practitioners across Australia to submit their most powerful, thought-provoking, or unexpected work. With a growing prize pool and expanded categories, this year’s edition celebrates the full spectrum of artistic expression. The Wyndham Art Prize proudly champions inclusivity and welcomes works in a variety of artforms including painting, sculpture, photography, video, works on paper and digital media.

Awards

First Prize: $15,000

Second Prize: $10,000

Third Prize: $8,000

Local Emerging Artist Prize (acquisitive): $5,000

People’s Choice Award: $2,500

Judges

The gallery is thrilled to announce the judging panel for the 2026 Wyndham Art Prize are acclaimed artist and past WAP winner Camille Hannah, Kendrah Morgan, Head Curator at Heide Museum of Modern Art, and (third TBC)

Camille Hannah is an acclaimed Australian artist known for her gestural, luminous paintings on Perspex, which explore the sensual interplay between digital aesthetics and traditional oil painting. She holds a Master of Fine Art from the Victorian College of the Arts and has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally, including in London, Milan, Venice, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Kendrah Morgan is a distinguished Australian curator serving as Head Curator at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Naarm/Melbourne since 2003. Previously, she was Assistant Curator of New Zealand and International Art at Auckland Art Gallery (1998–2002) and lectured in art history with a focus on Italian Renaissance and Baroque art

Previous Winners and Finalists

2023 Wyndham Art Prize winner

Arrayah Loynd is an acclaimed Australian lens-based conceptual artist whose award-winning work delves into memory, trauma, neurodivergence, the female experience, and otherness. Her powerful series, And Then You Were Gone, won 2nd place in the 2024 LensCulture Art Photography Awards, offering an evocative visual exploration of life with prosopagnosia and the fragility of memory.

In 2023, Arrayah received the Wyndham Art Prize for her archival-pigment print Dissociated #1. She also earned the LensCulture Emerging Talent Award in 2023 and has been recognized in the Head On Photography and Australian Photobook Awards.

Nandita Nadkarni (Point Cook VIC) won the 2023 Wyndham Art Prize Local Emerging Artist Award for her ceramic installation Crafted Clay Odyssey, a sculptural exploration drawing inspiration from the Spotswood Pumping Station and the transformation of functional infrastructure into biodiverse waterways.

For Artists
Dates for your diary
Open for Entries: 1st August 2025.

Terms and conditions:

Can be found here

https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/form/2026-wyndham-art-prize-

Entry fee details (if applicable):

$35 entry fee

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Enquires: wyndhamartprize@wyndham.vic.gov.au

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