Maree Azzopardi from The Entrance has taken the major $15,000 award in this year’s Gosford Art Prize for her artwork The Crossings.
With a total of $28,000 in prize money, this year’s award attracted 908 entries from across Australia, with 135 of the artworks selected as finalists for exhibition.
Judges artist Peter Godwin and curator Libby Knott had a tough job but were unanimous in selecting Azzopardi as the winner.
Godwin said he enjoyed the historical metaphor and symbolism of the artwork.
Council Administrator Rik Hart said the Gosford Art Prize was known for making a real difference to an artist’s career.
“The Gosford Art Prize offers an exciting range of opportunities for visual artists working in any art form to showcase their work to a large audience and potentially become an acquisition of the Central Coast’s art collection,” he said.
“Once again, the calibre of artists from around the country was extremely high – however it was fantastic that the winner was local artist Maree Azzopardi from The Entrance and that 30 per cent of the finalists were from the Central Coast.
“This is a real indication of the strength of the art scene on the Coast.”
Hart offered congratulations to category winners and to all the artists who entered from across Australia.
Regional Gallery Director Tim Braham said the selection panel aimed to include a variety of styles, content and techniques with fierce competition amongst a range of artwork.
“Events such as this annual Gosford Art Prize provide opportunities for both local and national artists to bring quality contemporary art to the Central Coast,” he said.
“The Gosford Art Prize has evolved from its humble beginning in the 1970s, to now be recognised as a significant goal for artists to aim for.”
The second prize of $5,000 went to Kim Fasher for Missing Mythology.
Winner of the $2,500 Aboriginal Artist Prize was Ethan-James Kotiau-Gurrba for Fishing Net and Kelly Austin took out the $2,500 Gosford Ceramics Prize with her artwork Stilled Composition.
Collecting Highly Commended prizes of $1,000 each were: Armando Chant – Dusk Over the Mountain; Elle Kaufmann – Mellow Yellow; and Lihnida Krstanoska-Blazeska – A Faithful Dog Killed in Error.
Braham said the Viewer’s Choice Award would be announced at the end of the exhibition, after gallery visitors had a chance to cast their votes.
The winner will receive $500 in prize money.
The 2024 finalist exhibition will be on display at the gallery until October 20 from 9.30am-4pm daily, with free entry.