Blake Prize Finalists Shine at Liverpool Powerhouse

One of Australia's leading religious and spiritual art prizes opens to the public next Saturday, when the 69th Blake Prize exhibition launches at Liverpool Powerhouse.

Featuring 33 artist and artist collectives, and eight poets from across Australia, the Blake Prize exhibition offers a compelling look at how contemporary artists and poets are engaging with questions of spirituality, religion and belief: themes at the heart of the Blake Prize since it was established in 1951.

Now in its 69^th year, it holds a unique and respected place in the national arts landscape, providing artists with the rare opportunity to explore faith, philosophy and the human condition through diverse and challenging contemporary practices.

The Blake Art Prize 2026 finalists were selected by a judging panel comprising visual artist Claudia Nicholson, writer and academic Associate Professor Chris Fleming, and First Nations curator Tess Allas. In a joint statement, the judges said this year's exhibition highlights the continued relevance of spiritual inquiry in contemporary culture.

"Not as a single tradition or belief system, but as a field encompassing diverse practices, inheritances, doubts, and relationships to religion and culture more broadly," the judges said.

"The shortlisted works demonstrate the vitality of this field and the capacity of contemporary art to approach spiritual questions with openness, rigour and imagination."

Liverpool City Council Director Community and Lifestyle Tina Bono said the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to engage with art that is thoughtful, confronting and deeply human.

"The Blake Prize exhibition asks big questions and invites people to reflect, discuss and connect," Ms Bono said.

"These are not quiet works. They are bold, considered and emotionally resonant. Whether people come for the art, the ideas or the conversation it sparks, this is an exhibition well worth experiencing."

Ms Bono said Liverpool was proud to continue hosting the national prize. "For 75 years, the Blake Prize has played an important role in Australian art, and Liverpool is proud to be its home," she said.

"The exhibition reflects the diversity of perspectives that shape our city and our country, and we encourage visitors from across Sydney and beyond to come and see it."

The 69th Blake Art Prize exhibition runs from 2 May to 14 June 2026 at Liverpool Powerhouse, with prize winners announced at the official launch event on Friday 1 May 2026.

Awards to be presented include:

The Blake Art Prize, The Blake Poetry Prize (in partnership with WestWords, Western Sydney Centre for Writing), The Blake Acquisitive Art Prize and The Blake Next Generation Scholarship

Following the launch, the public will be invited to vote for the Blake People's Choice Art Prize.

With artists represented from across the country and a legacy spanning more than seven decades, the 69th Blake Prize continues to affirm its standing as a leading platform for religious and spiritual art in Australia.