Short Description
The 3rd Trades Hall Arts Prize is now open for entries – opening night 1st October.
The Trades Hall Art Prize seeks to support the arts, workers, arts-workers, art by workers and art about working life. An annual Arts Prize, hosted in Paddy’s Gallery.
This prize is intended to support artists as workers and to appropriately compensate artists of all experience levels and backgrounds – you don’t have to be a full-time artist to enter. Art is for everyone.
The theme of this year’s prize is Create Against the Machine.
Artists are invited to create work in any medium exploring themes of workplace-surveillance, technological change and worker resistance, throughout history and today.
All artists – professional, emerging and beginner – are invited to create work and submit it to the prize. 10 artworks will be selected to be exhibited in Paddy’s Gallery as part on Melbourne Fringe Festival in October and into November.
Eligibility
- Open to artists residing in Australia.
- Work must be original and created by the submitting artist.
- All mediums are eligible, provided the work can be safely exhibited.
- Participating artists must be 18 years or above.
- Collaborative works are permitted, with prize money to be split equally unless otherwise agreed in writing by all collaborators.
- This prize is not open to paid staff of Victorian Trades Hall Council or Trades Hall Literary Institute. Family members may enter with any conflicted members of the judging panel being replaced.
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
- One (1) Winner will receive a $5,000 acquisitive prize.
- The remaining nine (9) selected artists will each receive a $750 participation fee for exhibiting and loaning their work.
- The winning artwork becomes the property of the Victorian Trades Hall Council and will be retained in its permanent collection.
- The $750 fee covers both participation and the loan of the work for the exhibition period.
- Non-winning works will be collected by artists at the conclusion of the exhibition.
- Artists are responsible for delivery and collection of their work, unless alternative arrangements are made in writing.
- All efforts will be made to care for artworks, but insurance remains the responsibility of the artist.
Entry Fee
None
Location
Australia
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2025
Website Link: https://www.weareunion.org.au/art_prize25
