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Artwork by Aidan Weichard

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Australia’s largest and richest art prize with a total prize pool of A$250,000

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 A$250,000.

Golden statue of a girl - king midas’ daughter- curled up on a bed of golden foliage.

2022 Winner

Lauren Starr

Congratulations to our Bluethumb Art Prize Winner Lauren Starr. The winning piece "Midas’ Daughter II - Golden still life " took home the grand prize of $150,000.

"Inspired by the story of king Midas, who loved gold so much he made a wish that everything he touch turn to gold. At first the gift seemed to fulfil his every dream and satiate every craving. Until he couldn’t enjoy simple pleasures such as smelling a rose or enjoying a meal. And then his little daughter hugged him and also turned into gold. Tragically he realised too late that his greatest joy had been in front of him all along. A reminder to cherish those you love and that the simple pleasures are actually the greatest treasures. This image was a challenge the artist set herself: "Rather than layer photographs together as I often do, I wanted this to be a single image. Every piece of the background (flowers, leaves, fruit) I’ve spray painted gold, and our lovely Midas’ daughter has been covered in body paint. I stood on a ladder to photograph her lying on the golden foliage. When I look at the image, I'm always drawn to how peaceful she looks, as though she has just fallen asleep, the apple lying loosely in her hands. When you look closely, her body is actually covered in goosebumps and I love the juxtaposition or her serenity against the raised flesh. Did she know the second before she was turned into gold that something was about to happen? I'm urged to compare her utter trust with the love that Midas' daughter had for her father. How completely trusting and dependent all of our children are on us and what it is we do with that power and responsibility.""

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2022 Category Winners

Winner

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award

Kungka Kutjara 21-905KA (M)

by Martha Protty

Winner

Digital Award

Provolone Pier

by Shaz Spannenburg

Winner

Photography Award

Midas’ Daughter II - Golden still life

by Lauren Starr

Winner

Still Life Award

Home totem #2 / Sunset (M)

by Peter Tankey

Winner

Sculpture Award

Revival

by Jodi Stewart

Winner

Portrait Award

Revelation

by Monika Dia'k

Winner

Founders' Award

To think about carefully

by Art Of Konstantinos

Winner

Landscape Award

Milk & Paper

by Donovan Christie

Meet previous Bluethumb Art Prize winners

2023
2022
2021
2020
2018
2017

2023 Winner

Ellie Sutton

Read more about all our winners here

2022 Winner

Lauren Starr

“I can't explain how surreal it was. That amount of money is life-changing. It's given me the confidence in pursuing being an artist. It's firm evidence that I am on the right track.”

Read more about all our winners here

2021 Winner

Loribelle Spirovski

Congratulations to our Bluethumb Art Prize Winner Loribelle Spirovski.
The winning piece 'Mirror into Mirror' took home the grand prize of A$20,000.

“Painted in the middle of lockdown, the subject of this portrait is my husband Simon, who was the only person I was able to interact with for many months. Added to our isolation, we were in the process of moving house and I found myself viewing him as a mirror of my own isolation. The title is taken from Avo Pärt's minimalist composition 'Spigel im Spiegel', which translates into 'mirror into mirror'.

Read more about all our winners here

2020 Winner

Hubert Pareroultja

Hubert Pareroultja of Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre, a senior Western Arrarnta-Luritja man continuing the watercolour art movement of the Hermannsburg School, was the overall winner of the Bluethumb Art Prize 2020 and winner of the Landscape Award.

“I feel his appreciation and comprehension of his own Motherland is something that no other artist can emulate,” Bluethumb Art Prize 2018 winner and 2020 judge Hyunji Kim commented on the winning landscape, Mt Giles, MacDonnell Ranges – Circular Landscape. “The mystic and subtle colour palette and the circle framing beautifully capture the ethereal spirit of the landscape.”

Read more about all our winners here

2018 Winner

Hyunji Kim

Hyunji Kim, an artist working predominantly with painting from South Korea, won the overall Bluethumb Art Prize 2018 and the Works on Canvas Award with her portrait Painless (Luke).

“A compelling portrait that kept drawing me back. It captured a vulnerability and resignation that strongly evokes the uncertainty of formative years and experiences,” art prize judge and CEO of Contemporary Arts Precinct, Marcus Westbury, commented on the winning work.

Read more about all our winners here

2017 Winner

Kirsten Sivyer

Kirsten Sivyer, a figurative oil painter from Albany, was the winner of the inaugural Bluethumb Art Prize in 2017.

Art prize judge Penny Griggs, General Manager of the South Australian Living Artists Festival, felt that the best element of the winning work, Home Away from Home, is its “beautiful use of light”. “The mood and glow created in this painting stand out for me. I just kept being drawn back to it.”

Read more about all our winners here

Jasmine McClelland Design and Photographer Jonathan Tabensky

Bluethumb Art Prize 2022 Entries Open June 16 - September 5 2022

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The Prize

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of Bluethumb. That’s 10 years of supporting Australian artists in all stages of their careers; 10 years of helping collectors connect directly with Australian artists; 10 years of being the true: Home of Australian Artists.<br><br>To mark this momentous milestone, we’re making the 2022 prize bigger and better than ever before. The Bluethumb Art Prize will be the largest and richest art prize in Australian history, with a total prize pool of A$250,000. We’re excited to be back hosting the awards ceremony in person again this year, which will take place at our new flagship gallery in Richmond, Melbourne on Thursday 27 October 2022.

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Overall Winners

The finalist artwork with the highest overall score from our expert Judging Panel will win the top cash prize of A$150,000. This will be the Bluethumb Art Prize 2022, Overall Winner.

The Overall Winner will be invited to exhibit at the Bluethumb Art Prize 2022 Winners’ Exhibition to be held at Bluethumb’s flagship gallery in Richmond, Melbourne.

Category Awards

All category winners will receive cash prizes and will be invited to exhibit at the Bluethumb Art Prize 2022 Winners’ Exhibition.

The category awards and respective cash prizes are as follows:

Abstract Award: A$10,000
Landscape Award: A$10,000
Portrait Award: A$10,000
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award: A$10,000
Still Life Award: A$10,000
Photography Award: A$10,000
Digital Award: A$10,000
Sculpture Award: A$10,000

Special Awards

In addition to the Overall Winner and Category Award winners, there are two Special Awards as follows:

The Founders’ Award:

After its successful launch last year, The Founders’ Award will return again in 2022. This award is judged by Bluethumb co-founders and brothers Edward and George Hartley, and is for large statement pieces (at least 1.5m on one side) as this is the most popular and in-demand artwork on Bluethumb.

The winner of the Founders’ Award will receive a A$10,000 cash prize.

The People’s Choice Award:

The People’s Choice award is voted for online by the public from the pool of finalists when they’re announced on Thursday 29 September 2022. The People’s Choice award winner will be announced on Thursday 10 November 2022 and receive a A$10,000 cash prize.

For the People's Choice Award, the public (excluding Bluethumb employees and their families) can vote for their 5 (five) favourite artworks from Thursday 29 September until Wednesday 9 November 2022 and will go in the running to win a ‘favourited’ artwork valued up to A$2,000. The winner will be picked at random and informed accordingly.

2022 Judges

Our Judging Panel consists of some of Australia’s most-renowned artists, including the 2022 Archibald Prize winner and our reigning Bluethumb Art Prize holder. This year’s panel is diverse and qualified and will not only pick great winners, but continue to bring our prize and our artists the national attention they deserve. The finalists will be shortlisted by the Bluethumb Selection Panel before being handed over to our esteemed panel of judges.

Del Kathryn Barton

Two-time winner and three-time finalist of the Archibald Prize, Del Kathryn Barton is best known for her playful and often kaleidoscopic depictions of people and animals.

Tamara Dean

Critically acclaimed photo media and installation artist whose work explores the connection between nature and the moments of transition in our lives.

Blak Douglas

Winner of the 2022 Archibald Prize, with proud Dhungatti Aboriginal origins, Blak Douglas evokes the need for cultural and political change - but often with a sense of irony and hint of sarcasm.

Kathrin Longhurst

Packing Room Prize winner 2021 and Archibald finalist many times over, Kathrin Longhurst is a renowned contemporary figurative artist known for her arresting and provocative paintings.

Loribelle Spirovski

Winner of the 2021 Bluethumb Art Prize, Loribelle Spirovski returns this year as one of our esteemed judges. Her work spans numerous styles including traditional portraiture and surrealism.