The Artbank Prize

About

The Artbank Prize is a national, open call to Australian artists who are not currently represented in the Artbank collection. One entry will be selected from each state and territory as a finalist to be exhibited at Artbank Sydney. One artwork will be awarded the Artbank Prize, which will be acquired into the Artbank collection, up to the value of AUD 20,000.00.

The prize has been established to recognise and support outstanding contemporary art practices, and to promote access for all Australian artists to present their work for consideration for the Artbank collection.  It aims to champion new voices and help grow the breadth of contemporary Australian art represented across the country.

As a national program, Artbank encourages entries from across the country. An exhibition featuring the eight finalists will be held at Artbank’s Sydney premises alongside a series of public programs that celebrate the artists and their works.

Artbank is delighted to announce the esteemed judging panel for the inaugural 2026 Artbank Prize is artist Tony Albert, curator Ellie Buttrose and arts journalist Elizabeth Fortescue. Submissions will be assessed by the Artbank curatorial team, Oliver Watts and Paul Adair, and the panel of three judges, chaired by Artbank Director, Zoë Rodriguez.

Eligibility

• Entries for the Artbank Prize will be considered from all practising, professional Australian artists, who are not currently represented in the Artbank collection.
• Artists must be either an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia.
• Works must be original. Artworks can have been exhibited prior to submission to the Artbank Prize but must have been completed since 1 January 2025.
• Works must be suitable for the Artbank collection, and appropriate for display in public spaces through Artbank’s art leasing scheme (see Artbank Collection Acquisition Policy and Collection Plan for further information).
• Entered artworks can be any media and any genre in line with the suitability of an artwork proposed for the Artbank collection, as noted above.
• Artworks that are complicated to install, or ephemeral in nature are not suitable for the Artbank collection, as noted above.
• There are no specific restrictions on the dimensions of an artwork, however entries must be able to be safely lifted by two people (under 30kg) and fit through a standard door frame, in line with the suitability of an artwork proposed for the Artbank collection, as noted above.
• Artbank reserves the right to deem any artwork ineligible or unsuitable due to safety.
• Artworks must be available for acquisition, and Artbank will be granted first right of refusal of all selected finalists.
• Artworks must be priced in line with market value and career stage.
• Maximum purchase price is AUD 20,000.00. If you are an early career artist and pricing your own work, we recommend considering your costs, time, skill, market position and encourage consistent and transparent valuation. Artworks that are proposed for acquisition are subject to Commonwealth Procurement Rules and must demonstrate value for money.

Entry

• The Artbank Prize is free to enter.
• Entries must be submitted using the Smarty Grants portal.
• Online filesharing platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and OneDrive etc. cannot be used. All supporting files must be uploaded as attachments in SmartyGrants. • An artist can submit one entry of one artwork only.
• Entrants can include up to 3 images of their artwork as support material. The first image should be an image of the entire artwork and additional image/s can be an installation view, an alternate view or a detail of the artwork. Files should be titled Last name First name number 1, 2 and 3. For example Smith_Jane_1.jpeg
• Artworks must be uploaded as high-quality screen resolution images in .JPG or .JPEG format only, with a maximum file size of 25MB each, or through an accessible link via Vimeo or YouTube to view video works online, with a password (if applicable).
• Entrants must submit an artist statement that includes a statement about the artwork submitted (150 words maximum).
• Entries must be submitted between 30 January 2026 and 13 March 2026, 5pm.
• No changes can be made to the application once submitted, though Artbank may seek further information from applicants about the entry and exhibition after the closing date.
• Late entries will not be accepted. Judging and selection panel
• Artbank staff will assess all entries and pre-select entries that will be viewed by the judging panel.
• The judging panel will consist of three external invited guests and will be chaired by the Artbank Director.
• The pre-selected entries will be considered digitally by the judging panel, and 8 finalists will be selected, representing all states and territories.
• The judging panel will view and judge the 8 finalists’ works in person at the Artbank Prize finalists’ exhibition.
• The judging panel will judge works according to artistic merit, technical merit and alignment with the Artbank Collection Acquisition Policy and Collection Plan.
• The judging panel will select one winner and award the Artbank Prize which will be acquired into the Artbank Collection (up to a value of AUD 20,000.00).
• The judges’ decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the decision, and we cannot provide individual feedback.

Exhibition

• Artbank will exhibit all shortlisted finalists in an exhibition in our Sydney premises.
• Shortlisted finalists will be notified by email.
• Shortlisted finalists agree to their work being reproduced for promotional, review and educational purposes and/or the future promotion of the Artbank Prize and entry is and shall be deemed authorisation for this use.
• Artbank will cover the cost of transport of all shortlisted artworks to and from Artbank for the exhibition.
• Shortlisted artworks must be ready for installation and must be available for ongoing display for the duration of the exhibition.
• All artworks will be handled by experienced Artbank staff and art carriers and adhere to best-practice storage and handling.
• All shortlisted artworks must be owned by the entrant and available for acquisition.
• Artbank will insure the artworks for their nominated market value for the duration of the exhibition.

Warranty provided by you

• By entering the prize, you expressly warrant that you meet all these entry requirements.
• You also agree that in the event you are declared a winner of the Prize, and it is subsequently determined by Artbank, in their sole discretion, that you did not meet these entry specifications, Artbank reserves the right to not proceed with acquiring the artwork.
• You also agree to respond promptly and fully to all questions from Artbank or requests for information sought from you.

Information

• All personal information gathered by Artbank will be used solely for the purpose of administering the Artbank Prize, and reporting.
• For further enquiries please email ArtbankPrize@artbank.gov.au or telephone 1800 251 651.