Short Description
To celebrate our 30th year, Defiance Gallery is excited to launch the inaugural Defiance Award for excellence in painting.
Established in 1995, Defiance has built a reputation for uncompromising quality and cemented itself as one of Australia’s leading contemporary art galleries. A pioneer in the field of sculpture, the gallery represents a stable of exceptional artists in both painting and sculpture and holds the respect of artists and curators both here in Australia and overseas.
The Defiance Award has been founded to discover, support and profile exceptional Australian painters.
Eligibility
The Defiance Award is open to artists over the age of 18, living and working in Australia who are Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents.
Artists must be unrepresented by an art gallery in NSW.
Entry is limited to 2 artworks only per person.
Each entry must:
- be a painting in oil, acrylic, watercolour, ink, pastel, natural earth pigments or mixed media/collage on canvas, paper, board (or similar)
- be original work of the artist and have been completed within the preceding 24 months
- not have been previously exhibited (including online but excluding the entrant’s personal website or social media platforms), shown in competitions, or awarded a prize
- be completed by the time of your submission. If selected as a finalist, artwork submitted for exhibition and final judging must be the artwork that was submitted for entry
- be available for sale. If selected as a Finalist the artwork must still be available for sale and also available to be hung in the Finalists Exhibition
- comply with the size limits
- and, if selected, supplied for exhibition with D-rings and able to be hung on Gallery walls
Submission Requirements
Images:
- Each entry should be uploaded as a digital file only. The digital file must be a JPEG file, of no more than 5 MB in size. Please name your file using the format: SURNAME_First name_Title. Suggested picture size is approximately 2,000 pixels on the longest side
Files:
- CVs, biographies and other requested documentation must be submitted as PDFs. Artist Statement must be a single page only and each PDF must be no more than 1 MB in size
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
- Solo Exhibition at Defiance Gallery
- 2-week residency at Giverny Artist Residency in Queenstown, New Zealand proudly sponsored by the Nock Art Foundation
- return flights to Queenstown from an Australian capital city
- $3,000 cash prize
Entry Fee
$44.00
Location
Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2025
Website Link: https://www.thedefianceaward.com/information
