Short Description
The Olive Cotton Award is a $20,000 biennial national award for excellence in photographic portraiture in memory of photographer Olive Cotton. In 2025, the Gallery will celebrate the award’s 20-year anniversary.
Eligibility
The Olive Cotton Award is open to artists living and working in Australia who are Australian citizens or have been Australian residents for 12 months or more.
Entry is limited to 2 entries only per person, artistic duo or collective.
The Olive Cotton Award is not open to employees of Tweed Shire Council or their immediate family members.
Each entry must:
- be a new portrait completed since May 2023, owned and created by the artist
- 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. Artists who are required to exhibit their work for assessment purposes may enter exhibited work but should indicate this on their entry form
- be photographic, archivally sound, still and two-dimensional
- comply with the size limits and able to be hung on or pinned to Gallery walls
- contain your best estimate of finished size in centimetres.
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
The $20,000 first prize is acquisitive, and the winning entry is automatically acquired for the permanent collection of the Gallery.
The Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc. fund the Director’s Choice Award (purchase acquisition) up to the value of $4,000 plus GST. The artwork is purchased at the wholesale value (retail price less Gallery commission). The winner is required to submit an invoice to Tweed Shire Council for payment. Instructions for invoicing will be advised.
The Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc. fund an additional $1,500 People’s Choice Award to be announced following the conclusion of the exhibition. The winner is required to submit an invoice to Tweed Shire Council for payment. Instructions for invoicing will be advised.
Entry Fee
Entry fee is $35.00 per entry including GST and is not refundable in any circumstances.
Location
New South Wales, Australia
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 13 May 2025
Website Link: https://gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/awards/olive-cotton-award
