$50,000 Kilgour Prize returns to Newcastle Art Gallery after five years

Newy 87.8 FM – The $50,000 Kilgour Prize is calling for entries for the first time in five years, relaunched following the expansion of Newcastle Art Gallery.

The national prize awards $50,000 to the most outstanding work of figurative or portrait painting, with a further $5,000 going to the work voted most popular by the public.

Newcastle Art Gallery has administered the prize since it was established in 2006 following a bequest from artist Jack Noel Kilgour. It has been on hold since the Gallery closed at the start of 2022 for its major expansion project.

Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM said the relaunch was a milestone moment as the prize celebrates its 20th anniversary, attracting a high calibre of entries from emerging and established artists across the country.

Almost 2,900 works have been entered since 2006, including a record 476 paintings from every state and territory in 2021, the last time the prize was held.

Past winners include Nicholas Harding, who won the inaugural competition in 2006, Blak Douglas (2019), Newcastle's Michael Bell (2020) and Newcastle painter Peter Gardiner (2016).

"To actually win the Kilgour Prize in 2020 was an incredible thrill and great honour. A real career highlight for me," Bell said.

Entries for the 2027 Kilgour Prize are open until 5 October 2026, with finalists announced in December and the winner revealed at the exhibition opening in April 2027.

Join the discussion on Facebook.