Footscray Art Prize 2023 Winners

Left to right: Ammar Yonis, Grace Nguyen, Jessie Deane, Roberta Joy Rich & Abbra Kotlarczyk

The $20,000 main prize in the Footscray Art Prize been awarded to multi-disciplinary artist Roberta Joy Rich for her powerful and multi-layered video installation entitled Though Buried, They Echo. The work places the faces of racist policy makers - whose legacies still define Australian and South African colonial law - beneath the gallery floor. Judges said the work successfully engages both the viewer and the institution.

Roberta’s work was selected from 43 finalists and more than 500 original submissions from artists across Australia as well as internationally based Australian creatives. All the works will be exhibited at Footscray Community Arts from 15 July to 17 September in a site wide takeover of the venue.

Winners were selected by a judging panel comprising University of Melbourne Art Museum Associate Director Charlotte Day, Artist and Curator Phuong Ngo and National Gallery of Victoria's First Nations Art Curator, Shonae Hobson.

“The success of Roberta’s work is not only the power of its subject and elements, but how she has implicated us as viewers of the work – we walk over it and then are encouraged to look at what is under our feet and almost peripheral – just out of view,” said Charlotte Day.

Kerry O’Neill, Director, Communities & Government Relations awarded the main prize on behalf of Victoria University, a proud partner in the Footscray Art Prize since its inception in 2016. 

“The Footscray Art Prize is a wonderful expression of Footscray’s long tradition in cultural and creative expression and industry, showcased on a national stage. Victoria University is pleased to present the main prize of $20,000 to the winning entry ‘Though Buried, They Echo’ by Roberta Joy Rich. The artist’s evocative work asks us to reflect on the deep seated and often hidden dimensions of racism that sit behind the legacies of government and legal systems“ said O’Neill.

A diaspora southern African raised on Wathaurong country, Roberta often references histories relating to her cultural identity and experiences, with a focus on oral connections through communal knowledge systems. 

Roberta Joy RichThough Buried, They Echo, Video Installation. Winner Footscray Art Prize 2023

In addition to the $20,000 main prize, three other category prizes were awarded.  The Maribyrnong City Council awarded the $10,000 Local Acquisition Prize to subversive needlepoint artist Jessie Deane, whose cotton thread on canvas, The Big Build, documents the West Gate Tunnel build.  The work explores contradictions and dichotomies of hand-made and heavy duty, masculine industry and feminine craft, and rigid materials compared with malleable thread.

City of Maribyrnong Mayor, Cr Sarah Carter said the work explores contradictions and dichotomies of hand-made and heavy duty, masculine industry and what is perceived as “feminine” craft, with the rigid materials compared with malleable thread. 

“Jessie is an important local artist who pays homage to Melbourne’s West through their depiction of the industrial landscape using the texture, colour and contrast of thread.  It will be a wonderful addition to the textile works in Council’s collection,” said Mayor Carter.

Local Acquisition Prize winner Jessie DeaneThe Big Build, cotton thread on canvas

Council was also so impressed with the bold work Salon Gâr that they awarded a Runner-up Local Acquisition Prize of $5,000 to artist Ammar Yonis. “We found its interplay between past and present, contrasting the opulent interior with contemporary friendship, highly impactful,” said the Mayor.

Ammar YonisSalon Gâr, Local Acquisition Prize Runner-Up, 35mm film photograph on silk

Abbra Kotlarczyk received the $2000 Residency Artist Prize for her artwork Bridgehead (de)composition/Sweating the impurities, which honours her grandfather’s enforced labours as a stone mason during WWII.

Footscray Community Arts is thrilled to be awarding the Residency Award to Abbra Kotlarczyk for her work Bridgehead (de)composition / Sweating the impurities. The piece speaks to our keen interest in honouring and platforming artists stories through their contemporary practice and the importance of supporting artists through all stages of their creative practice,” said Daniel Santangeli, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Footscray Community Arts.

Abbra Kotlarczyk, winner Residency Artist PrizeBridgehead (de)composition/Sweating the impurities

Young Artists Prizes of $500 each were awarded to primary school student Grace Nguyen of Maribyrnong and secondary school student Jadyn Gregorio of Wyndham.

Grace Nguyen, King Sunny, amigurumi (crochet, stuffed toy)

Jadyn Gregorio, atopic dermatitis, oil on aluminium panel

The biennial prize is a partnership between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts and the Rotary Club of Footscray, who share a commitment to demonstrating and promoting creativity, cultural achievements and the arts.

On Saturday 5 August, The Rotary Club of Footscray will host a dinner and auction to raise funds for local youth projects.

Artists shortlisted for the Footscray Art Prize 2023

The biennial Footscray Art Prize has unveiled the 2023 shortlist with 43 artworks selected from over 500 outstanding submissions received from artists across Australia as well as internationally based creatives.

The 43 artworks shortlisted for the main prize and 113 works from the young artist categories will be exhibited at Footscray Community Arts from Saturday 15 July to Sunday 17 September in a site wide takeover of the venue.

The judging panel comprising University of Melbourne Art Museum Associate Director Charlotte Day, Artist and Curator Phuong Ngo and National Gallery of Victoria’s First Nations Art Curator, Shonae Hobson selected the shortlisted works. 

“It was inspiring and reassuring to see so many entries after a couple of tough years for creative practitioners. What a privilege to look at so much new work and breadth of practices and concerns and to do so together with Phuong, Shonae and with the fantastic support of the Footscray Art Prize team,” said Charlotte Day.

The works span multiple platforms and disciplines representing a fascinating portrayal of contemporary creative practice in Australia as well as the artists who produce them.

Victoria Pham’s DOMESTICUS VENUS – Video, sound and sculpture installation work
Narration by Robert Attenborough and Victoria Pham

Among the shortlisted works is Parisian based artist Victoria Pham’s DOMESTICUS VENUS – a mockumentary, satirical video and sculpture installation.  Pham who said she was felt incredibly humbled to be shortlisted for the remarkable prize, sent 3D components of her artwork from Paris with the digital elements sent online. 

Also shortlisted is previous Footscray Community Arts Artist in Residence Foni Salvatore’s Adau, a stunning oil portrait of a South Sudanese woman whilst Nicholas Burridge’s sculpture Explosive Forming is informed by the history of the Footscray Munitions Factories drawing a parallel between the mark left by a bullet and the effect of manufacturing on a landscape.

Sara Kian-Judge is a Walbunja-Yuin woman and autistic artist working at the intersection of environmental and disability arts explains her work, Autistic Animals which is produced with white ink and watercolour pencils on black paper:

”Animals help me understand my autism. When people talk about culling bats and sharks, it feels the same as when they talk about curing autistic people. So I sometimes feel more bat or shark than human. These drawings express proprioception and sensory disturbance through my relationships with bats and sharks.’”

The exhibition also features the digital video work from admired Barkindji artist Kent Morris, Waa and Wattle, which mirrors the methodical disassembly and denial of First Peoples cultural knowledge and reflects First Nations knowledge systems surviving, regenerating and continually evolving. Well known visual artist, Nikki Lam has transferred 16mm film to 2K digital with sound to produce the unshakable destiny_2021 which has also been shortlisted.    

“I would like to recognise the efforts and dedication of the Footscray Art Prize team. This year’s entries are a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of our thriving arts community. A special congratulations to all the artists who entered, it has been an absolute pleasure to engage with your work,” said Shonae Hobson

“It has been a pleasure working alongside Shonae and Charlotte in the selection process. The calibre of work was inspiring and the selection process introduced me to new and exciting artists and practices from across the country. I’d like to thank all the artists who entered and acknowledge the time and effort taken to do so,” said Phuong Ngo.

Shortlisted artists go into the running for a total cash prize pool of $33,000 including the coveted $20,000 main prize which has doubled this year.  The Main Prize, Local Acquisition Prize ($10,000), Residency Artist Prize ($2000) and Young Artists Prize for primary students ($500) and secondary students ($500) will be announced at the exhibition opening on Saturday 15 July.  

The biennial prize is a partnership between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts and the Rotary Club of Footscray, who share a commitment to demonstrating and promoting creativity, cultural achievements and the arts. 

On Saturday 5 August, The Rotary Club of Footscray will host a dinner and auction to raise funds for local youth projects.

List of shortlisted artists: 

Arranged alphabetically by first name

FOOTSCRAY ART PRIZE 2023

  • Abbra Kotlarczyk  

  • Adrian Lazzaro

  • Ammar Yonis 

  • Anna Kiparis

  • Annika Koops

  • Belinda Yee

  • Bruce Reynolds

  • Carolyn Cardinet

  • Cathy Staughton

  • Chelle Destefano

  • Connor Ovenden-Shaw

  • David Murphy

  • David Egan

  • Diego Ramirez

  • Donna Marcus

  • Dustin Voggenreiter

  • Edwina Green

  • Elyas Alavi

  • Fassih Keiso

  • Fleur Brett

  • Foni Salvatore

  • Giordano Biondi

  • Hootan Heydari

  • Isabella Hone-Saunders

  • Jack Lee

  • James Nguyen

  • Jenna Lee

  • Jennifer Tran

  • Jessie Deane

  • Jody Haines

  • Katie Paine

  • Kent Morris

  • Mark Forbes

  • Minaal Lawn

  • Ming Liew

  • Nicholas Burridge

  • Nikki Lam

  • Noah Spivak

  • Rhys Cousins

  • Roberta Joy Rich

  • Sara Kian-Judge

  • Victoria Pham

  • Virginia Keft

YOUNG ARTIST PRIZE 2023

All young artist entries are presented in the exhibition.

Hand-engraved core sample wins the 2021 Footscray Art Prize

Northern Territory based artist Lee Harrop has been awarded the $10,000 Footscray Art Prize for her sculptural work that interrogates the mining industry using a hand-engraved core sample.

The winning work, titled And this, too, shall pass, was selected by the judging panel – made up of NGV’s Myles Russell-Cook, VCA’s Vikki McInnes, and freelance curator Kirsty Grant – from 39 shortlisted artworks after the judges initially reviewed over 830 entries into the third iteration of the Prize.

The judges observed that the work is “modest in scale and quiet in its presentation, but in this apparent simplicity, it has great power.” They were impressed by the materiality of the object – solid and tactile – that speaks to a deep time.

Core samples have become a regular feature in Harrop’s arts practice, influenced by her collaborations with Western Australian and Northern Territory Geological Core Libraries. The naturally occurring substances are typically mined and analysed to determine what materials lay beneath the earth’s surface.

“Utilising text and quoting a familiar adage that reflects on the temporary nature of human existence, it resonates widely, reminding us of our connections to the past and responsibilities to the future.” concluded the judges.

As a PhD candidate at Charles Darwin University, Harrop explores the representations of mining, its connection to the wider global discourse about its environmental impact, and the present pandemic.  

A new category, the $10,000 Local Artist Acquisition Prize, has also been awarded to Sunshine-based artist Simon Clark for his work Gaskin Gardens. The impact of the pandemic on our communities is a strong theme in the exhibition, and Clark’s intricately layered collage reflects on the confinement that many commission housing residents experienced during lockdown. The artwork will be acquired into Maribyrnong City Council’s art collection.  

Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) will soon receive a new mural addition thanks to the $5,000 Street Art Prize, which was awarded to Macedon resident Emma Coulter. Her mural, to be installed in the next few weeks, will attempt to create a ‘window’ between the community and FCAC. The judges selected this work for the potential it has to instantly engage visitors to the area, “drawing them in with the strength of its design, the way it plays with perception, as well as it’s joyful colour”.

Two artists – Ahmad Sabra and Scotty So – also received a residency with FCAC as part of the new Emerging Artist category.

Local artists Rosie Kalina and Dawn Tan selected the winners of the Young Artists Prize categories from over 160 artworks, which are displayed at Victoria University’s MetroWest venue.

The biennial prize is a unique collaboration between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Rotary Club of Footscray with And this, too, shall pass, along with winners in Local Artist Acquisition, Street Art, Emerging Artist and Young Artist categories, viewable in free exhibitions at Footscray Community Arts Centre and VU at MetroWest until Saturday 5 June 2021

For more information about the exhibition visit www.footscrayartprize.com/exhibitions, which includes an online catalogue and 360 video tour.


Media contacts: 


The winners 

Footscray Art Prize winner (main prize) 

lee-harrop.jpg

Lee Harrop
And this, too, shall pass
Hand engraved geological core sample from Yilgarn Craton, WA

My current body of work responds to the present pandemic whilst also continuing my decade long investigation into the mining industry’s social, economic and environmental impacts. Scientists have long warned of the inevitability of new infectious diseases as a result of human impacts on the natural world.

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This artwork is on display at Footscray Community Arts Centre as part of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition until Saturday 5 June.  

Street Art Prize winner 

Emma Coulter
Spatial deconstruction #25

Emma Coulter’s art practice utilises built forms and spatial environments as painting supports.

Her artwork for the Footscray Community Arts Centre, spatial deconstruction#25 (perceptual vortex), attempts to create a ‘window’ into the space between the community and the arts centre, through the structured arrangement of colour on the building’s facade.

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The artwork will be installed on the warehouse north wall of Footscray Community Arts Centre over the coming weeks.  

Local Artist Acquisition Prize winner 

simon-clark.jpg

Simon Clark 
Gaskin Gardens 
Paper and card collage, graphite, ink 

This collage, created in 2020, depicts the facade of Gaskin Gardens, a twelve-story residential housing commission complex for elderly residents, situated in Footscray. 

The confinement of the residents during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 seemed intensified by the Brutalist exterior of the building; this was no utopia, quite the opposite. 

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This artwork is on display at Footscray Community Arts Centre as part of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition until Saturday 5 June. 

Emerging Artist Prize winners 

ahmad-sabra.png

Ahmad Sabra
Anthem 
Video

Anthem responds to the growing fear of Muslims in Australia by examining how Muslims are perceived in contemporary Australian society and by exploring the mechanisms of prejudice – how easy it is to make assumptions and establish stereotypes and challenge the perceptions of viewers.

And

scotty-so.png

Scotty S
As She…
Videos on holographic device, wood, velvet, perspex

Part of a collection, As She… explores the fetishism of Oriental femininity in Sci-fi movies and advertisements. Scotty So recorded himself performing in his drag persona Scarlett, transferred the videos onto the hologram advertising device, creating the ghostly moving image of Scarlett that entertains the audience forever.

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These artworks are on display at Footscray Community Arts Centre as part of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition until Saturday 5 June. 

Young Artist Prize winner (secondary) 

bQYGtptPRf2mUqixZ7yCTw.jpg

Miwa Wilson
To Grow Up

This artwork was inspired by the feelings of growing up. I have always kept a diary since I was little and I wanted my work to reflect these feelings. My piece is a mixed media collage showing two manipulated self portraits to describe the feelings through the various changes experienced.  

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This artwork is on display at VU at MetroWest as part of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition until Saturday 5 June.   

Young Artist Prize winner (primary) 

Jayden Ly
Growling Grass frogs and their habitat 

I am interested in Australian native frogs including the Growling Grass frog. I joined the FrogID app and started recording frog calls to help the Australian Museum conserve frog populations. My artwork is inspired by Jeannie Baker and the messages she tells her readers about environmental changes.

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This artwork is on display at VU at MetroWest as part of the Footscray Art Prize exhibition until Saturday 5 June. 

Artists shortlisted for the 2021 Footscray Art Prize 

Over 170 works from across Australia have been shortlisted in three categories for the esteemed Footscray Art Prize and will be on display from 7 May – 5 June at Footscray Community Arts Centre and VU at MetroWest.   

The judging panel – formed by NGV Curator Myles Russell-Cook, VCA lecturer Vikki McInnes and former Director of Heide Kirsty Grant – selected the shortlisted works following a review of over 830 entries, a record number of entries for the third iteration of the biennial Prize.  

"What a joy it was to see the breadth and depth of entries into this year’s FAP, and what a shame we couldn’t include every single one in the exhibition. Heartfelt thanks to all of the artists for holding their nerve during these most challenging of times, and hearty congratulations to all the finalists — it’s going to be quite a show!” - Vikki McInnes 

39 artworks are shortlisted in the main category, three in the street art category, and 160 artworks from the young artist categories will be exhibited.  

Mediums range from a cardboard protest sign to geographical core samples and a hologram device to delicate ceramic porcelain with recurring themes of isolation and relationships.  

“The entries provided a fascinating glimpse into contemporary creative practice around the country, both in terms of trends in the material means artists are working with, and the issues that are most relevant.” - Kirsty Grant 

Megan Evans has made the shortlist for the second year in a row with an intricately beaded piece, Layla Vardo will show David Attenborough in a new light through her video, and David Cox, an artist from the Warmun Art Centre who reimagines ways of communicating his Dreaming stories, are just a few of the emerging and established artists to be featured in the exhibition.  

“Following lockdown, and a year when many artists were forced to adapt their practice to work in new ways and often under extreme circumstances, each of the entries is a testament to the power of all artists creativity during difficult times.” - Myles Russell-Cook 

Shortlisted artists go into the running for a total cash prize pool of $28,000, including the coveted $10,000 main prize, with winners announced on Friday 7 May at the exhibition opening night.   

The biennial prize is a unique collaboration between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts Centre, and the Rotary Club of Footscray, who share a commitment to demonstrating and promoting creativity, cultural achievements, and the arts.   

List of shortlisted artists: 

 Arranged alphabetically with the first name.  

Footscray Art Prize 

  •  Ahmad Sabra 
    Anthem 

  • Amala Groom & Saha Jones 
    this is a sign 

  • Anna Kiparis 
    Midnight Mass 

  • Carolyn Craig 
    Proximal Noise: Principles and actions against Anoxia 

  • Cassandra Downs 
    Bilby Vessel 

  • Cassandra Tytler 
    Oops! 

  • Chelle Destefano 
    Audist College 

  • Ches Mills 
    Intricacies 

  • Chloe Lee 
    Dat Thanh Bakery sign 

  • Darcey Bella Arnold 
    errored inclusion 

  • David Cox 
    Two Sisters 

  • Fassih Keiso  
    Consolidation: Youth in the Age of War and COVID-19 

  • Georgia Banks 
    She's Beauty, She's Grace 

  • James Hale 
    25 Special 

  • Jenna Corcoran 
    I WLD WLK 

  • Jenna Lee 
    dis/bound re/bound 

  • Jessie Deane 
    Needlepoint Night Docks 

  • Johny Salama 
    1989 

  • Kent Morris 
    Barkindji Blue Sky - Ancestral Connections #4 

  • Kurt Medenbach 
    Epimetheus 

  • Laura Woodward
    And the Sun was filled with Salt 

  • Layla Vardo 
    Orders of Magnitude 

  • Lee Harrop 
    And this, too, shall pass 

  • Linda Sok 
    Salt Water Deluge 

  • Mark Forbes 
    Emptiness 

  • Megan Evans
    Mother Country 

  • Naomi Nicholls 
    Gradient Cutting #1 

  • Nicholas Burridge 
    Fluid Rock 

  • Patrick Snelling 
    My Footscray 

  • Paul Briggs 
    Enter the Dragon/Footscray 

  • Peter Burke 
    Take lasagne out of fridge 

  • Phu La 
    Neville meets Devil 

  • Riana Head-Toussaint 
    First Language 

  • Rozalind Drummond 
    Field Studies 

  • Ryan Andrew Lee 
    Wonnarua, 2019 

  • Scotty So 
    As She... 

  • Simon Clark 
    Gaskin Gardens 

  • Stephen Palmer and Nina Ross 
    Union Banner 

  • Tim Van 
    Featherweight Cannon 

Street art

  • Emma Coulter 
    Spatial deconstruction # 25 (perceptual vortex) 

  • Hayden Dewar 
    I can hear a ringtail possum 

  • Jaime Powell 
    Tree 

Young Artists

All young artist entries are displayed in the exhibition.

Footscray Art Prize returns with $28,000 worth of prizes

The biennial Footscray Art Prize is returning in 2021 with entries opening on Monday 5 October. Artists from across Australia are invited to enter, with the opportunity to share in $28,000 worth of prizes across multiple categories.  

Established in 2016, the Footscray Art Prize has received over 800 entries for two consecutive years, firmly placing the Prize on the Australian art prize calendar. In 2021, it will provide a welcome injection of funds into the creative sector and reinvigorate the thriving cultural hub of Footscray in Melbourne’s west in what is hoped will be a post-COVID world.  

The coveted main prize is valued at $10,000, while the Street Art Prize is valued at $5,000 and pays tribute to Footscray’s thriving street art scene. Two new sub-categories have also been added: a $10,000 acquisition prize for local artists that will see the winning work added to Maribyrnong City Council’s Art and Heritage Collection, and an artistic residency at Footscray Community Arts Centre for emerging practitioners. The popular Young Artists Prize continues, featuring two categories each valued at $500, encouraging students in Melbourne’s west to explore their creativity.  

A panel of esteemed judges will shortlist the artworks and select winners in 2021:  

  • Myles Russell-Cook, Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Victoria 

  • Vikki McInnes, Curator, writer, gallerist and Research Development Fellow 

  • Kirsty Grant, former Director and CEO of Heide Museum of Modern Art; and 

  • Dawn Tan and Rosie Kalina will judge the Young Artists Categories. 

Shortlisted works artworks will be on display in an exhibition held at Footscray Community Arts Centre (Main and Street Art Prize), and VU at MetroWest (Young Artists) in May and June 2021 with winners announced at the exhibition opening.   

The biennial prize is a unique collaboration between Victoria University, Maribyrnong City Council, Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Rotary Club of Footscray, who share a commitment to demonstrating and promoting creativity, cultural achievements and the arts. 

Entries open to all Australian residents on Monday 5 October 2020 and can be submitted online, with no restrictions on visual art media. Entries will close at midday on Monday 8 February 2021.  

For more information, visit www.footscrayartprize.com.  

Quotes from partner organisations   

Peter Dawkins AO, Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University:  

Since its inception in 2016, the Footscray Art Prize has been showcasing Footscray’s creative community in a national context. This year the prize will have the challenges of a pandemic to contend with. It is therefore more important than ever that we, along with our partners Footscray Community Arts Centre, Maribyrnong City Council and Footscray Rotary, uplift the Footscray arts and culture sector and continue to offer opportunities such as this.  

School students, in particular, have had a difficult year and we hope that the Young Artists category provides an enticing opportunity for them to get creative and have their efforts displayed at our community hub, VU at MetroWest. 

This is my final year as Vice-Chancellor at VU, and it has been an honour to observe the next generation of artists through this prize and see it develop into a recognised Australian art prize.  

Stephen Wall, CEO of Maribyrnong City Council:  

Footscray is a thriving creative hub, and has developed an enviable reputation as a centre of arts and culture, which has been reflected in the success of the Footscray Art Prize to date.  

This year, a new sub-category supported by Maribyrnong City Council has been added to the Prize to celebrate and acknowledge local artists. The winning work of the Local Artist Acquisition Prize will be added to Maribyrnong City Council’s Art and Heritage Collection and be exhibited at Footscray Town Hall or other Council facility. The work will be selected based on key themes, including our environment, people, growth, identity, and culture.  

We look forward to hosting the work of talented artists from across Australia here in Footscray once again!  

Daniel Santangeli, Artistic Director and Co-CEO at Footscray Community Arts Centre: 

At Footscray Community Arts Centre we believe all communities should be valued as makers of culture, regardless of their identity. Footscray Art Prize provides a platform for a vast number of visual artists to truly announce their presence and be seen by acclaimed visual art judges and hundreds of visitors to FCAC. 

Jama Farah, President of Footscray Rotary: 

Footscray Rotary was the initiator of the Footscray Art Prize in conjunction with Victoria University in 2016 to mark the university’s centenary, and we are excited to continue this project into its third year with VU, Maribyrnong City Council and Footscray Community Arts Centre to develop a vibrant, artists and social event for the Footscray community.  

We proudly sponsor the Young Artists categories and also host the Footscray Art Prize dinner the night after the prize announcements. Dinner guests attend a private viewing of the finalists work and proceed to an evening full of culinary and artistic delights, featuring auctions with a wide variety of art and a guest speaker to provide insight into the art world.   

 The money raised at the dinner supports many young people in our community to access scholarships, both primary and secondary, and to attend a variety of leadership and learning camps.  

Quotes from judges  

Myles Russell-Cook:  

I am delighted to be a judge for the upcoming Footscray Art Prize 2021. This is a significant award that recognises the vital role artists play in shaping our lives, which now in 2020 feels more important than ever. 

Kirsty Grant  

The Footscray Art Prize attracts entries from artists all over the country who work in diverse ways, providing a snapshot of current creative practice and the ideas and images that speak to contemporary life and experience. 2020 has been an extraordinary year and presented us all with many challenges - I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges in the prize in 2021.