Art Awards
City of Belmont Art Awards
The Art Awards provide a special opportunity for our community to connect and engage with the Arts, and celebrate the City of Belmont as a place of creativity and culture.
Each year the City invites artist’s across the state to submit their artwork, welcoming a variety of artistic mediums and styles including drawings, paintings, photography, textiles, sculptures and ceramics. The Awards are open to artists of all ages, featuring a diverse mix of youth, emerging talent and established art professionals.
Held over two weeks, the Awards showcase the talent in our local community and broader arts sector, while supporting artists to create new works that ignite the imagination, tell our unique stories, and foster connections.
The event aspires to be innovative, creative, and progressive. Art is a great connector, helping us understand different perspectives and build bridges, while contributing to the health, wellbeing, and general life satisfaction of our residents.
For more information on the Art Awards, please contact artsandplace@belmont.wa.gov.au or phone our Arts and Place team on 9477 7248.
The 2023 Art Awards were held from 2 September to 16 September 2023, and featured 299 pieces of unique, original artwork from across the state.
View the Art Awards Catalogue
View the Artist Statements
2023 Art Award Winners
City of Belmont Overall Acquisitive Award:
Tom Goates ‘Destabilise’
City of Belmont Resident Award:
Joseph Heather ‘SUBHUMAN’
Emerging Artist, 18-25 years:
Charlotte Robinson ‘Arianna’
Youth Award, 11-17 years:
Emma Xu ‘My NgaBu (My Grandma)’
Highly Commended:
Victoria Edwards ‘Kicking On’
Highly Commended:
Ian Macrae ‘The Orchestra of the Opera by Degas - with Dogs’
Mentorship Prize:
Sonali Fernando
Popular Choice Award:
Mecah White 'Peak Hour Storm'
Below: 2023 City of Belmont Art Awards Exhibition held in The Glasshouse.
Awards
All entries are reviewed by a Selection Panel, where up to 300 works are selected to participate in the Awards. This includes a selection of artworks by youth and emerging artists, local Belmont artists as well as experienced and professional artists.
The Awards include five categories, plus Highly Commended Awards and the self-nominated Mentorship Prize.
The participating artworks are then carefully considered by independant judges to determine the winners
- City of Belmont Overall Acquisitive Award: $10,000 prize
- City of Belmont Resident Award: $500 prize
- Emerging Artist, 18-25 years: $500 prize
- Youth Award, 11-17 years: $500 prize
- Popular Choice Award: $500 prize
Mentorship Program
The Art Awards Mentorship Prize was established to provide development opportunities and nurture emerging artistic talents in the community.
The program sees an established professional artist paired with a mentee selected from the self-nominated Art Awards participants.
Below: 2023 Mentorship Prize winner Sonali Fernando with mentor, professional West Australian Artist Jo Darbyshire.
The Exhibition
Held in The Glasshouse, the free two-week exhibition provides an opportunity for the community to explore the artworks, engage with the community, and purchase a work of art of their own.
The Art Awards attract the interest of a broad cross section of the community including WA Artists, local residents, youth and arts patrons.
Public Programs
The Art Award Public Programs deliver a range of educational, informative and fun sessions leading up to and during the exhibition.
Workshops and accessibility tours have been designed to provide professional development opportunities for emerging artists and greater appreciation of the works on display.
For many exhibitors, the Art Awards is their first opportunity to show artwork in a public setting. For others, it is an opportunity to share their stories, show their skills and progress their careers.
Below: Art Awards participant Erica Zaino introducing her artwork 'I : endlessness' with Paul Rowe at the Collector's Night
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All artworks must have been created in the last year and not previously exhibited.
2D artworks are a maximum size of 100cm x 100cm and 3D artworks are max 50x50x 50cm
All artworks are for sale and the City of Belmont charges a 25% commission on the sale of all artworks.
No. The City is limiting the number of entries into the award and all entries will be reviewed by a Selection Panel with artists being advised if they have been accepted into the award.
The City of Belmont Art Award aims to provide artists of all abilities and experience the opportunity to participate in a community exhibition that celebrates the creative talents of local and WA artists.
The City does not charge an entry fee to participate in the Award, and in order to manage the logistics of exhibiting the Award it implements a selection process to refine applications to a maximum of 300 artists to be accepted into the award.
Whilst there is no curatorial theme, the selection process aims to include a selection of artworks by youth and emerging artists, local Belmont artists as well as experienced and professional artists.
The award is judged by two independent arts professionals who are experts in the field.
The first prize is a $10,000 acquisitive award, with the winning work coming into the City of Belmont Civic Art Collection. The remaining prizes are non-acquisitive and will be available for sale throughout the exhibition.