Art Prizes
Celebrating the talent and diversity of Australian Artists
Bluethumb is proud to present our annual Bluethumb Art Prize. This year we continue to grow and strengthen Australia’s best art prize for emerging and established artists. Entries will be accepted from Monday 31 July to Monday 11 September 2023.
We’re excited to welcome a talented mix of Design Industry professionals and celebrated artists to judge this year’s Bluethumb Art Prize. With a diverse panel of artistic experience, knowledge and taste, this year’s art prize will be like no other! As always, the Bluethumb Selection Panel will shortlist entries and hand over the final decision to our esteemed judges.
Celebrating a growing community of Australia’s strongest emerging and established artists, Bluethumb is proud to present its annual Bluethumb Art Prize for 2022.
This year will mark the Bluethumb Art Prize as the largest and richest art prize in Australian history, with a total prize pool of $250,000.
Free to enter and open to all, we invite Australian based artists to upload their best works only to Bluethumb for entry.
As always, Bluethumb’s Art Prize will be judged by extraordinary Australian artists. The 2022 Judging Panel is the who’s who of the Australian contemporary art world with Tamara Dean, Kathrin Longhurst, Loribelle Spirovski, Del Kathryn Barton and the reigning Archibald Prize winner, Blak Douglas.
Submissions will be accepted from 15 June to 5 September 2022. Read more about the prizes and the terms and conditions of entry here [see below].
We wish all of our artists the best of luck!
After a year hiatus, our innovative art prize is back when Australian artists need it most. While many art prizes have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID lockdowns and restrictions, we've been working hard behind the scenes to make our Bluethumb Art Prize 2020 the biggest and best yet.
By partnering with 1 Dension, the new home of Nine and tallest building in North Sydney, Grand Designs Australia Magazine and Eckersley's Art & Craft, not only can we offer more opportunities for artists to step into the spotlight with more category awards, we can also offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the winning artists. The prizes include a winners exhibition at 1 Denison early next year, a 4 page editorial in 2021's first edition of Grand Designs Australia Magazine and $500 Eckersley's Art & Craft gift vouchers to spend on art supplies.
After a year hiatus, our innovative art prize is back when Australian artists need it most. While many art prizes have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID lockdowns and restrictions, we've been working hard behind the scenes to make our Bluethumb Art Prize 2020 the biggest and best yet.
By partnering with 1 Dension, the new home of Nine and tallest building in North Sydney, Grand Designs Australia Magazine and Eckersley's Art & Craft, not only can we offer more opportunities for artists to step into the spotlight with more category awards, we can also offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the winning artists. The prizes include a winners exhibition at 1 Denison early next year, a 4 page editorial in 2021's first edition of Grand Designs Australia Magazine and $500 Eckersley's Art & Craft gift vouchers to spend on art supplies.
Bluethumb Archibald Prize Finalists
76cm (W) x 76cm (H)
Oil
A$5,500
2019 Archibald Prize finalist
The Archibald Prize has a rich history as one of Australia's most prominent and coveted art prizes.
We are proud to present the list of Bluethumb artist Archibald Prize finalists from recent years.
SALA 2018 Online Sales Partner
101cm (W) x 121cm (H)
Oil
A$4,000
2018 SALA People's Choice Prize
SALA is Australia's largest arts festival with over 700 art exhibitions and events throughout August, from 9,000 South Australian artists. It's a feast of creativity where you can discover incredible artists, artworks and attend artist talks all across South Australia; from exhibitions at winery cellar doors to shopping centers, cafes and city bars.
And for the first time ever, Bluethumb is partnering with SALA as Online Sales Partner so you can buy artwork online from exhibitions from all over the state.
Enter the People’s Choice Prize - it’s free! - for your chance to WIN $3,000 (Artist Prize) or one of 5x $500 Bluethumb vouchers (Collector Prize).
2018 Mission to Seafarers Maritime Art Prize
118cm (W) x 85cm (H)
Mixed Media
A$4,950
Winner: ANL Maritime Art Award 2018
The ANL Maritime Art Awards & Exhibition at Mission to Seafarers Victoria invites artists working in painting, drawing, collage and mixed media to explore the theme of the Relationship of Humanity to the Sea, with the goal of promoting maritime and seafaring subjects in art. Entries are open to artists both emerging and established, local and international.
The Bluethumb Art Prize is our annual award that aims to raise the profile
of Australian artists by supporting, recognising and celebrating their
incredible talent and diversity.
With double the prize money and over 2300 Australian artists entering,
the 2018 prize is Australia’s biggest new art prize and includes many of
Australia’s best artists.
View the Winners
Helpmann Academy Graduates Exhibition
The Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition has an established reputation as the showcase exhibition of South Australia’s most promising emerging artists.
Selected from Adelaide College of the Arts (TAFE SA / Flinders University), and the School of Art, Architecture and Design (University of South Australia) by a distinguished independent panel, the exhibition features works across a range of creative disciplines including ceramics, glass, painting, jewellery, photography, printmaking, video, installation and sculpture. In 2017 the exhibition was expanded to include works by Masters and PhD candidates.
2017 Mission to Seafarers Maritime Art Prize
Since 2002 the Mission to Seafarers Victoria’s Maritime Art Awards & Exhibition has showcased the work of over 700 artists and is Australia’s leading maritime art prize.
Prize money awarded to date has exceeded $175,000 and the event has raised over $230,000 toward the provision of seafarers’ welfare services in Victoria.
The Bluethumb Art Prize is our annual award that aims to raise the profile
of Australian artists by supporting, recognising and celebrating their
incredible talent and diversity.
2017 was the inaugural year and surpassed all expectations, with more
entries than the Archibald and a finalist exhibition in Melbourne worthy of
any major institution.
2016 Mission to Seafarers Maritime Art Prize
The Maritime Art Awards & Exhibition, promotes excellence in maritime and seafaring subjects in art and assists in raising the profile of the 1.5 million merchant seafarers responsible for transporting more than 90 per cent of world trade.
Global efforts to improve conditions for seafarers are ongoing, as has been the provision of welfare services by the MtSV since it was set up 1857 in the Port of Melbourne.