QUT Art Museum and ‘the churchie’ Committee is proud to present the 29th churchie national emerging art prize 2016. the churchie national emerging art prize is firmly positioned as one of Australia’s ‘to watch’ art prizes offering an inspiring glimpse into the future of the nation’s contemporary art scene. Now in its 29th year, ‘the churchie’ is one of Australia’s most acclaimed art awards. In 2016 the prize moves to its new home at QUT Art Museum, one of Australia’s leading university art museums, renowned for its innovative program and expert curatorial acumen— ‘the churchie’ is assured to have its finger on the pulse of our emerging art scene more than ever before.

BRIEF HISTORY

Established in 1987, ‘the churchie’ national emerging art prize is dedicated to innovation and excellence across contemporary art. The annual non-acquisitive prize is an initiative of Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie). ‘the churchie’ profile and reputation has developed over 29 years of relationship building and sits credibly within the Australian art community as a result of the standard of work accepted, and the high profile of appointed judges.

Over the past three decades the prize has provided a unique forum for artists to compete for visible recognition within the public arena through participation in a prestigious exhibition. Past winners such as Scott Redford, Maureen Hansen, Ross Manning and Rodney Spooner have gone on to establish stellar careers in the arts.

ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES

As well as being able to submit individual works, ‘the churchie’ will develop a new curatorial model that will see the prize develop as a platform for producing new and commissioned artwork. This allows artists to propose ideas during the application process and showcase their arts practice in context. This would be presented as a propositional project for the creation of new works or site-specific projects that build upon an existing body of work.

Entries open 18 April to 30 May 2016

Eligible entrants in ‘the churchie’ are emerging artists, with or without specialized training in their field, who are at an early stage of their career, with less than 7 years practice as a professional artist. They must be an Australian citizen or resident and aged 18 years and older. Entries open Monday 18 April and close Monday 30 May (open 6 weeks). Finalists will be advised in June of their selection for exhibition.

EXHIBITION

Exhibition 20 August to 13 November 2016

All finalists’ entries will feature in a 12-week exhibition from 20 August to 13 November at QUT Art Museum. The winners will be announced on Friday 19 August at the Official Opening + Prize Announcement reception that evening from 6.00-8.00pm. The overall winner will be awarded a $15,000 non-acquisitive cash prize supplied by long-time supporters of ‘the churchie’, Brand+Slater Architects, Brisbane. The winner will be selected by a high profile guest judge from the arts sector and announced at the opening evening on 19 August. To be featured in this high profile public contemporary art space in Brisbane’s CBD offers professional development opportunities for emerging artists— showcasing their practice to peers, collectors, art gallerists, museum curators, the media and the community at large.