Wollumbin Art Award
About the award
The Wollumbin Art Award (WAA) is the Gallery’s new biennial $30,000 award open to artists living in the Tweed, Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Scenic Rim Shires, as well as Lismore and Gold Coast City. The Award, named for the mountain the Gallery overlooks, celebrates the calibre and diversity of artists of the region. There is no theme and artists may submit works in any medium.
2022 Award Winners
Amber Wallis, Ivy With Eyes 2021, oil on linen, 150 x 130cm. Represented by Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne
The winner of the inaugural Wollumbin Art Award is Amber Wallis for her painting Ivy with Eyes. The $15,000 Award also includes a two-week residency at the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio at TRG&MOAC.
Michael Philp, Pearly Shells 2022, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 122 cm
The winner of the inaugural WAA Bundjalung Award is Michael Philp for his painting Pearly shells. The $10,000 Bundjalung Award for First Nations artists also includes a solo exhibition at the Gallery, and is sponsored by Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd.
Mia Forrest, Red Flowering Gum, in motion 2022, video
The winner of the inaugural WAA Emerging Artist Award is Mia Forrest for her video work Flowering Red Gum, in motion. The $5,000 Emerging Artist Award is supported by Leanne & Greg Tong-Lyon.
Highly Commended
2022 Guest Judge Alison Kubler awarded Highly Commended to:
Caleb Reid
Xanthe Dobbie
Michael Donnelly
Zion Levy Stewart
Marian Tubbs
Nathan Falk
Amarina Toby
Brendan Kelly
Courtney Cook
Zen Staff
Congratulations to all our winners and entrants!
2022 finalists
The Gallery was pleased to receive 473 entries for the inaugural WAA, from which 60 finalists have been selected. Congratulations to all finalists listed below. Finalist artworks will be on display Friday 30 September – Sunday 20 November 2022. WAA Winners will be announced on Saturday 1 October 2022.
- Meli Axford
- Marty Baptist
- Stephen Baxter
- Jenevieve Beves
- Stephen Bird
- Emily-Sarah Boldeman
- Russell Brown
- Aaron Chapman
- Toni Clarke
- Courtney Cook
- Michelle Dawson
- Shanti Des Fours
- Karla Dickens
- Xanthe Dobbie
- Michael Donnelly
- Shannon Doyle
- Lyle Duncan
- Kath Egan
- Nathan Falk
- Grace Fayrer
- Mia Forrest
- Stafford Gaffney
- James Guppy
- Sandra Guy
- Max Hangan
- Charlotte Haywood
- Greg Hodgson
- Kate Holmes
- Emily Imeson
- Benjamin Jameson
- Gala Jane
- Brendan Kelly
- Josephine Kokfelt Ehlers
- Rebecca Lavery
- Ryan Lee
- Michael Philp
- Hobie Porter
- Belle Raine
- Virginia Reid
- Caleb Reid-Boquist
- Russell Shakespeare
- Kat Shapiro Wood
- Sabrina Simoni
- Anne Smerdon
- Jan Snowdon
- Melissa Spratt
- Zen Staff
- Sam Steinhauer
- Zion Levy Stewart
- Michael Stiegler
- Meg Stoios
- Trish Tait
- Caitlyn Taylor
- Amarina Toby
- Marian Tubbs
- Dawn Walker
- Emma Walker
- Amber Wallis
- Christina Waterson
- Christine Willcocks
Prize categories
Image credit: Kate Holmes
Wollumbin Art Award, Winner
The $15,000 prize includes a two week residency at the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.
WAA Bundjalung Award
The $10,000 Bundjalung Award for First Nations artists includes an exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, and this award is sponsored by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd.
Emerging Artist Award supported by: Leanne & Greg Tong-Lyon
WAA Emerging Artist
The Emerging Artist Award is $5,000.
Key dates
Winners announced: Saturday 1 October 2022
Exhibition dates: Friday 30 September – Sunday 20 November 2022
2022 WAA Judge - Alison Kubler
Alison Kubler has over 20 years experience working as a curator in museums and galleries in Australia. She has held full-time curatorial positions at QUT Art Museum and Gold Coast City Art Gallery, and in a freelance capacity developed programs for Art Gallery of South Australia amongst other institutions. Alison is a Member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, and an Ambassador for the Institute of Modern Art. Alison is a regular contributor to art journals and magazines on the subjects of art and fashion. She is currently the Editor of VAULT.
The WAA pre-selection panel for 2022 includes the TRG&MOAC Gallery Director and the TRG&MOAC Exhibitions Curator, as well as Kylie Caldwell, Indigenous Art Officer, Arts Northern Rivers and respected Local Elder Aunty Joyce Summers.