Terms and Conditions
The Association of Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Societies Inc. (ABN 91 683 036 082) (‘ArtsNational ’) via the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies Philanthropic Fund (‘ArtsNational Philanthropic Fund’), administers the ARTSNATIONAL EMERGING ARTIST PRIZE.
The ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize recognises and supports Australian artists aged between 18 and 35 in developing their practice across disciplines including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, photography, video, and sculpture.
With a $20,000 prize, awardees will be provided an important opportunity to showcase their talent and gain exposure. The competition will be judged by a panel of experts in the fields of art and design, who will evaluate the applications based on how the award money will be spent, as well as their originality, creativity, and technical skills.
By entering the ARTSNATIONAL EMERGING ARTIST PRIZE (Competition) the terms and conditions in the button below apply.
Standard Terms
1. Entry into the Competition constitutes acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2. Entry is free of charge.
3. Each applicant may submit one entry only.
4. Entries must be received by 11:59pm AEST on 31 August 2026. Late entries will not be accepted.
5. Once submitted, entries cannot be amended.
6. Artworks must have been created within the past two years and no earlier.
7. Artworks created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) tools are not eligible.
8. The Prize is non-acquisitive.
9. All submitted works must comply with the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) Code of Practice.
10. Works incorporating First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property must be created with appropriate cultural authority.
Eligibility
11. Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents.
12. Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years of age at the closing date.
13. Applicants must be currently attending art school or have completed their first qualification at an art school within the last ten (10) years or should be aligned with a recognised Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art centre. Therefore, a 34-year-old who completed their art school course 12 years ago would not be eligible to enter.
14. Applicants must not be represented by a commercial gallery but may have exhibited in group exhibitions.
The Award
15. The following awards are available:
• Open Prize (ages 18-35) – Winner $20,000 cash prize
• Non-monetary Highly Commended and Commended awards may be made at the discretion of the judging panel.
16. The award’s objective is to assist an emerging artist in the development of their art practice and funds must be used to further a young person’s art practice, for example, in the creation of a body of work or towards exhibition expenses.
17. Where possible, the winner may receive an ArtsNational society membership for one year as part of the ArtsNational Young Ambassadors program.
18. At the selection committee’s discretion, the successful applicant will receive the prize funds which can be dispersed as a lump sum or by instalments, as agreed with ArtsNational.
19. Awardees will be invited to a presentation ceremony at the closest ArtsNational society in late 2026 or early 2027.
Key dates
20. Entries open on 15 July 2026.
21. Entries close at 11.59pm AEST on 31 August 2026.
22. Winners will be announced on approx. 8 October 2026.
Application form
23. Eligible artists are invited to submit:
a. three digital examples of their art (uploaded .pdf images or web links to their
work), and
b. a description (300 words) of their artistic practice, and
c. a statement of purpose (200 words) showing how they will use the prize money to further their professional working life. (Indicative costings of how the prize will be spent, broken down into relevant categories such as materials, framing, labour, travel, etc.)
Submission process
24. Application forms can be accessed on the ArtsNational website at www.artsnationl.au or via this link to the Philanthropic Fund page: ArtsNational Emerging Artist Prize
25. Supporting material must be saved using this naming protocol:
Surname_Firstname_ArtsNational <2026>_document type (e.g. Bloggs_Joe_<2026>_CV).
26. The following extensions are suitable for saving your supporting material: .doc; .docx, .pdf; .jpg; .png; .mp4; .mov 17.
27. Where appropriate, digital links to examples of artist endeavour should be provided within the application form.
28. Incomplete application forms will not be considered.
29. Once an artwork is entered, it must not be publicly exhibited, offered for sale or sold prior to announcement of the winner.
Confirmation of entry
30. A confirmation of entry receipt will be sent to the email address stipulated on the entry form on submission of entry.
Judging
31. Short-listed applicants may be invited for an interview as part of the judging process.
32. The judges’ decision is final, with no exceptions, and no correspondence will be entered into.
Engagement with ArtsNational
33. Prize winners will be invited to an event with the closest Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society (‘ArtsNational’) to where the awardee lives in order to explain to its members how the award will be used, or (at conclusion of their project) has been used.
34. Travel, accommodation and any associated costs related to the above will be for the awardee’s own account.
Acquittal of Award
35. At the end of the award period (1 elapsed year) awardees will be required to write a short (up to 3 pages) report to outline how the monies have been used to promote their art practice and how the artist has benefitted.
Copyright and Promotional Use
36. All works submitted must be the original work of the artist and the copyright must reside with the artist.
37. The successful applicant agrees that ArtsNational may use entry material or details of the artistic endeavour for non-sale ArtsNational promotional purposes, and that this will require no further approval or compensation.
38. Promotion use may include, but is not limited to, reproducing photographs of the successful applicant and his/her/their artistic endeavour on the ArtsNational website and in its social media promotions.
Responsibility and Liability
39. ArtsNational accepts no responsibility for any accident, loss, damage, injury to any individual or property whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, tort, negligence or otherwise arising out of, or in connection with, the Competition either during or after the Competition.
40. ArtsNational reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry which is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
Further Information and Enquiries
41. Further background information about ArtsNational may be found on the ArtsNational philanthropic fund website page or visit ArtsNational’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
42. Detailed application guidelines can be found on the application guidelines web page.
43. Enquiries may be directed to chair@artsnational.au