Guidelines

The ArtsNational Philanthropic Fund (ABN 91 683 036 082) has been established as a public fund with DGR status, to further enhance the ability of ArtsNational to support the next generation of emerging Australian artists. All donations are tax deductible

EMERGING ARTIST PRIZE 2026 APPLICATION GUIDELINES 2026 

ArtsNational is a volunteer-led Australia-wide organisation that provides an annual program of arts talks and events. Our members, spread across 36 societies, are passionate believers in the transformative power of the arts and our mission is to advocate for a diverse and vibrant cultural landscape across the nation.

With that in mind, the ArtsNational Philanthropic Fund is now presenting the inaugural ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize recognising excellence in artistic practice. ArtsNational is calling for entries from practicing professional visual artists and tertiary art students between the ages of 18 and 35 who are permanent Australian residents. This prize is designed to recognise and award an artist’s working practice, rather than an individual work. It is not an acquisition prize. While the winner will receive $20,000, winning the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize offers not only practical financial help but also provides an invaluable introduction to ArtsNational’s network of art lovers and collectors nationally.

Entry Requirements
Artist must submit the following via the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize portal:

  1. Three (3) digital images of the artist’s original work
  2. A written description of the artist’s art practice (limited to 300 words)
  3. A statement of purpose outlining how the artist will use the prize money to further their artistic practice should they win the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize 2026 (limited to 200 words)
  4. A brief CV, no more than 2 pages (A4)

Eligibility
The ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize is open to visual artists between the ages of 18 – 35 who are permanent residents of Australia. Artwork entered must be created by practicing professional visual artists, tertiary students or artists aligned with a recognised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander arts centre, working in drawing, painting, print, digital/video, photography, sculpture or mixed media. All artwork entered must be original and copyright must reside in the artist. AI generated works are not eligible for admission. Confirmation that AI has not been used in the creation of the submitted works must be declared on the entry form.

As this is an emerging artist prize, ArtsNational is calling on artists that are not yet formally represented by a commercial gallery. However, unrepresented participation in a group show at a commercial gallery and/or participation in a solo exhibition(s) may be accepted at the sole discretion of ArtsNational and/or the judging panel. In assessing eligibility, ArtsNational reserves the right in its sole discretion to allow artists to participate in ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize.

Prize Money
The winning artist will be awarded one prize of $20,000. Selection of the winner is at the sole discretion of the appointed judging panel. Where possible, the winner will be invited to a presentation ceremony in 2027 hosted at the ArtsNational society nearest to where the winning artist resides. The date for this engagement will be mutually agreed with the winning artist. ArtsNational will not be responsible for contributing to the cost of the winner’s travel expenses or any other expenses associated with the presentation ceremony.

ArtsNational will require the winner of the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize to submit a short acquittal report within twelve months outlining how the money was spent to support their art practice. The purpose is to highlight the utility of the prize money and the opportunities winning the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize presented to the artist.

Key Dates
Applications open on July 15 and close on August 31. ArtsNational will use best endeavours to provide all artists submitting work, with confirmation of entry which will be sent to the email address included by the artist in the supporting entrance materials.  Finalists will be announced on 1 October, and the winner will be announced on October 8. While these dates have been considered appropriate to accommodate timely administration of the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize, these dates may be revised by ArtsNational at its sole discretion. Should any dates be revised, details will be published on the ArtsNational website. If an artist has already submitted artwork, ArtsNational will use best endeavours to notify the artist (using contact details supplied by the artist when submitting their artwork to ANEAP for consideration) of any date changes within a reasonable timeframe.

Judging
Artworks entered will be assessed by an ArtsNational team to prepare a short-list which will be judged by an independent panel of art professionals appointed by the ArtsNational Philanthropic Fund Committee. While ArtsNational will use reasonable endeavours to determine whether a judge may have a conflict of interest that may affect their role as judge, ArtsNational shall not be liable to any artist, judge or any other party for any decision made in connection with the management of a judge’s conflict of interest, including any decision to remove a judge, require recusal, or adjust the judging process.

Only finalists will be notified of their selection. The judges’ decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Permissions and Copyright
Artists will be required to agree that ArtsNational may use entry material or details of artistic practice for non-commercial promotional purposes on the ArtsNational website and in social media and in so doing, grant ArtsNational a non-exclusive, sub-licensable, worldwide, perpetual and irrevocable license to exercise copyright in their artwork for the purposes of administering, promoting and providing information about the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize. This includes producing photographs or images of the artwork and using the photographs or images of the artwork for the promotional purposes of the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize and ArtsNational during and after the winner is announced. Except where the submitted artwork is used or otherwise reproduced for this limited purpose by ArtsNational, copyright in the artwork always remains vested in the artist.

Entries of artwork must be the original work of the applicant, and not infringe the copyright, moral rights, or other rights of any third party. If an artist is submitting artwork of a personality, the artist must have the subject’s consent to enter the artwork in the ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize.

All artwork entered must have been created between 1 January 2025 and 31 August 2026. The ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize judges and/or ArtsNational have the right to request proof from the artist to verify the date of creation and/or completion of the artwork, along with any other matter requiring validation.

Further Information and Enquiries
Further background information about ArtsNational may be found on the ArtsNational philanthropic fund website page or visit ArtsNational’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
Click here for full terms and conditions

Enquiries may be directed to chair@artsnational.au