Community Art Awards and exhibition
A highlight event on the City of Bayswater’s cultural calendar, the Community Art Awards and Exhibition proudly celebrates the richness and diversity of our local arts scene. Artists of all ages, backgrounds and mediums are invited to enter to share their work with the community.
The 2026 Community Art Awards and Exhibition is now closed.
VIEW THE 2026 DIGITAL CATALOGUE
The City's 2026 Community Art Awards and Exhibition was supported by Art & Craft World Morley and Ellis House Art Centre.
Details regarding the 2027 Community Art Awards will become available early 2027.
2026 Award winners
- City of Bayswater Open Award (Acquisitive): Possum Rose for ‘Soul of the Jarrah’
- Whadjuk Award (Acquisitive): Brett Nannup for ‘Wunda’
- Highly Commended (2 x awards): Claire Skeet for ‘Between the Trees’ and Anne Farrell for ‘Katie at the Festival’
- People’s Choice Award: Rachel Lamb for 'Bald Head, Torndirrup National Park'
- Photography Award: Chinh Nguyen for ‘Parent of the Year’
- Sculpture Award: Jordan Smith for ‘Leopard Sun and Mignonette Orchids’
- City of Bayswater Resident Award: Kyle Hughes-Odgers for ‘Treadmill Bird Spends Its Best Years on Someone Else’s Treadmill’
- Ellis House Member Award: Jane Meleisea for ‘The Last Branch’
- High School Entry (Years 7 - 12): Rylea Quinn for ‘Life Held In Graphite’
- Primary School Entry (Years 1 - 6): Clementine Rolls for ‘So We Meet Again’
- Highly Commended High School Entry (Years 7 - 12): Gemma Cook for ‘Bugs Life’
- Highly Commended Primary School Entry (Years 1 - 6): Cate Davies for ‘Flowers in a Vase’
Open Award - 'Soul of the Jarrah' by Possum Rose
Whadjuk Award – 'Wunda' by Brett Nannup
Highly Commended – 'Between the Trees' by Claire Skeet
Highly Commended – 'Katie at the Festival' by Anne Farrell
Photography Award - 'Parent of the Year' by Chinh Nguyen
Sculpture Award – 'Leopard Sun and Mignonette Orchids' by Jordan Smith
City of Bayswater Resident Award – 'Treadmill Bird Spends Its Best Years on Someone Else's Treadmill' by Kyle Hughes-Odgers
Ellis House Member Award – Jane Meleisea for 'The Last Branch'
High School Entry (Years 7 – 12) – 'Life Held In Graphite' by Rylea Quinn
Primary School Entry (Years 1 – 6) – 'So We Meet Again' by Clementine Rolls
Highly Commended High School Entry (Years 7 – 12) – 'Bugs Life' by Gemma Cook
Highly Commended Primary School Entry (Years 1 – 6) – 'Flowers in a Vase' by Cate Davies
People's Choice Award – 'Bald Head, Torndirrup National Park' by Rachel Lamb
Award Categories
- City of Bayswater Open Award (Acquisitive): $7,500
- Whadjuk Award (Acquisitive): $7,500
- Highly Commended (2 x awards): $750
- People’s Choice Award: $750
- Photography Award: $750
- Sculpture Award: $750
- City of Bayswater Resident Award: $500
- Ellis House Member Award: $500
- High School Entry (Years 7 - 12)
- Primary School Entry (Years 1 - 6)
- Highly Commended High School Entry (Years 7 - 12)
- Highly Commended Primary School Entry (Years 1 - 6)
Who can enter? Entries are open to budding and established artists of all ages. You do not have to live in the City of Bayswater to enter.
Artists can enter one artwork only.
All works entered must be less than 12 months old from closing date, the original work of the artist and not have been previously exhibited.
2D works must not exceed 1.3m x 1.3m in any direction, including frame. All 2D works must not weigh more than 10kg.
3D artwork must be a maximum of 20kg and must not exceed 40cm deep (front to back), 60cm high (top to bottom) and 1m wide (left to right).
Entry into the Community Art Awards is free, however, submissions accepted into the community exhibition attract an entry fee of $30 per artist (no fees apply for artists under 18 years of age).
All artwork must be for sale (except youth entries). Sale of youth entries (under the age of 18) is optional.
All entries go through a selection process. Artists selected for the community exhibition will be notified by email after Tuesday 2 June 2026.
All artworks will be judged on artistic merit by a panel of judges, who are independent arts industry professionals selected by the City.
All entries are automatically entered into this category regardless of medium. The winning artwork then becomes part of the City of Bayswater art collection.