2026 WAA Finalist Kirsten Chambers Vanitas 2026, oil on Polycotton, 121 x 121 cm. Image courtesy the artist. © The artist.
Tweed Regional Gallery is excited to announce finalists for its coveted biennial Wollumbin Art Award which showcases the strength and diversity of artists across the region.
A total of 79 finalists artworks have been selected for the 2026 Wollumbin Art Award (WAA). The finalists, selected from a record 653 entries, will have their work on display in a finalist exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery from Saturday 29 August 2026.
The Award's pre-selection panel consisted of 2026 guest judge Professor Lisa Slade, curator, art historian and Hugh Ramsay Chair in Australian Art History at the University of Melbourne; the Gallery's Exhibitions Curator, Tina Wilson, and Gallery Director, Ingrid Hedgcock. Respected Local Elder Aunty Joyce Summers joined the panel for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entries.
Finalists are vying for a $15,000 first prize, to be announced at the Awards night on Saturday 29 August from 6pm. In addition to the first prize, the $10,000 Bundjalung Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists sponsored by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd., and the $5,000 Emerging Artist Award supported by Leanne & Greg Tong-Lyon will also be announced.
Choosing the winner of each category will be WAA 2026 guest judge Professor Lisa Slade who will view all artworks installed in the exhibition prior to the Award announcements.
Reflecting on the record number of entries Ms Hedgcock said it was another strong pool of entries with many artists entering for the first time.
"I know I speak on behalf of the entire pre-selection panel when I say it was a challenging task to select an exhibition from this year's entries due to the high calibre of work submitted from across the region. First and foremost we would like to sincerely thank all artists who entered the prize," Ms Hedgcock said.
"We look forward to sharing the finalist exhibition with everyone in August".
2026 WAA Finalist Monica Buscarino Ti ho cercato ovunque 2024, medium format analogue photo printed on silk, 35 x 150 cm. Image courtesy the artist. © The artist.
The winners for the 2026 Wollumbin Youth Art Award (WYAA) will be announced earlier on the same night at 5pm.
The Gallery's Education and Audience Development Officer, Elizabeth Page, said:
"The opening events are a wonderful chance to celebrate the young artists of the WYAA alongside their more established counterparts in the WAA.
"For many WYAA entrants, it may be their first time submitting their artwork into a competition and I would like to congratulate every young person who took the opportunity to enter. A huge well done and keep going."
WYAA 2026 guest judge, Tricia Quantrill, local secondary teacher and a committed advocate for the visual arts in the region, will visit the Gallery prior to the Award announcement to view the young finalists' artworks as she makes her final decisions.
The WAA exhibition will highlight the breadth and depth of artistic practice in the area with photographers, printmakers, painters, textile artists, ceramicists and film makers all represented, including works from well-established artists on display alongside emerging artists from across the region.
For the first time visitors to the Gallery can vote for their favourite WAA Finalist artwork with the WAA People's Choice Award sponsored by the Friends of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc and The Artist's Apothecary. The artwork receiving the most votes by the end of the exhibition will receive $1000 cash and voucher valued at $500, to spend at The Artist's Apothecary in Murwillumbah.
All 79 WAA finalist artworks will be on display at Tweed Regional Gallery from Saturday 29 August to Sunday 15 November. The WYAA is on display at the Gallery from Saturday 29 August to Sunday 25 October.
Finalists include Tweed based artist Kane Corowa, Gold Coast based artist Beth Andrews, and Byron based artists Kirsten Chambers and Monica Buscarino.
For a full list of WAA and WYAA finalists, visit: https://gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/awards/wollumbin-art-award
2026 WAA Finalist Kane Corowa Wanderer 2026, acrylic and ochre on canvas, 75 x 150 cm. Image courtesy the artist. © The artist.
The WAA Finalist Exhibition is proudly sponsored by Bondor Metecno, via the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd.
The $10,000 WAA Bundjalung Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists is sponsored by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd and includes an exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.
The $5,000 WAA Emerging Artist Award supported by Leanne & Greg Tong-Lyon.
2026 WAA Finalist Beth Andrews Push the limits 2026, chalk and white pencil drawing on black paper, 42 x 60 cm. Image courtesy the artist. © The artist.
