Entries are now open for the 2024 Blacktown City Art Prize.

The Blacktown City Art Prize is an annual art prize and exhibition presented by Blacktown City Council and Blacktown Arts at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre.

The Mayor of Blacktown City, Tony Bleasdale OAM said, “The Blacktown City Art Prize has been instrumental in supporting a vibrant and diverse arts scene within our community. It provides a platform for both emerging and established artists to exhibit their creativity and share their unique perspectives. Every year the entries testify to the extraordinary talent that thrives within Blacktown City.”

The Blacktown City Art Prize invites artists currently residing in Australia to submit works across a diverse range of mediums. The Art Prize also enables early-career and established visual arts practitioners the opportunity to exhibit their work.

New for 2024, the Early-Career Artist Prize will be acquired for the Blacktown City Art Collection. The Blacktown City Art Prize continues to support First Nations and local artists with the First Nations Artist Prize and the Local Artist Prize.

Finalists’ work will be presented in a major exhibition at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre from Tuesday 16 January to Friday 08 March 2024.

Last year, the prize attracted 514 entries, with 72 finalists being exhibited.

The 2022/23 Blacktown Arts Prize was awarded to Peter Rush for his artwork Sightlines, The Blacktown Native Institution site. Standing here, it’s placeless, I felt erasure, ignorance (my own), indifference.

The winner of the Aboriginal Artist Prize was awarded to Leanne Jones for her artwork Dinawan Ngarraarry – Emu Hunt.

The winner of the Local Artist Prize was Mina Lee, for her artwork Rousehill Farm.

The winner of the People’s Choice Prize was artist Nelson Nghe for his artwork Bug Spray.

 The 2024 Blacktown City Art Prize offers a total prize pool of $22,500 and acquisitions across five categories.

Prizes include:

Main Prize (acquisitive): $15,000

First Nations Artist Prize: $2,000

Local Artist Prize: $2,000

Early-Career Artist Prize (acquisitive): $2,500

People’s Choice Prize: $1,000

All artworks in the exhibition have the opportunity to be purchased by the public and will be considered for acquisition to the Blacktown City Art Collection.

Key dates:

Entries close: 30 October 2023 at 5 pm

Finalists announced: 14 November 2023

Artwork delivery: 15 and 16 December 2023

Exhibition: 16 January to 8 March 2024

Awards ceremony: 17 January 2024

Artwork collection: 9 and 11 March 2024

For further information and to enter, visit blacktownarts.com.au/bcap