The awards acknowledge, celebrate, and provide financial support to some of our community's most creative people, helping them undertake further study, training, and career development.
There were a record number of applications received this year, which made selecting just 17 winners a challenging proposition for the judges.
The finalists were ultimately chosen for their outstanding talents or their endeavour to excel, with the winners reflecting the diverse talent in Hume City – everything from young and emerging artists to accomplished professionals whose work has been featured on international stages.
Each winner has a unique take on their artistic mediums, which this year range across sculpture, photography, drawing, dance, acting, painting, music, writing, film and more.
Over the past four years, Hume's arts and cultural program has expanded to include the operation of three gallery spaces that are supported by an engaging program of arts and culture initiatives. This has seen a steady increase in people getting involved in Hume's artistic community, as evidenced by the record number of applicants.
A total prize pool of $20,000 will be shared between seventeen winners, including:
Youth 12 – 18 Years:
- Aidan Ross: creates expressive pastel and pencil portraits and impressive architectural models.
- Filipe Filihia: explores original expression across a range of mediums including sculpture, photography and drawing.
- Kawthar Zoubiri: explores personal identity and emotion through drawing and painting.
- Shahad Alruhaimi: wrote, directed and acted in her short film 'Corona Crisis!' - an amusing spoof documentary exploring peoples varied responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Sylvia Ziaka: paints vivid landscapes with a bold approach to colour, shadow and form.
Artist 19 – 30 Years:
- Andrew Nicolaides: visual artist and performer with a bold original aesthetic.
- Angela Dexter: dancer and choreographer who collaborates with other artists across multiple art disciplines.
- Bianca Ivorie: musician and songwriter with a swag of well-crafted original songs.
- Ebony MacPherson: multi-disciplinary artist, covering illustration, photography, video, theatre and performance.
- Georgia Tankey: award-winning dancer who performs and teaches in Hume.
- Jorjena Kassouha: emerging writer whose background as a refugee from Syria informs a deeply poetic sensibility.
Artist Over 30 Years:
- Matthew Jodrell: award-winning jazz trumpet player with an impressive professional history on the national and international stage.
- Mike Mullins OAM: director, producer, performer, curator, visual artist, and writer with a career spanning more than 4 decades. On Australia Day 2016 Mike was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the performing arts.
- Nighat Tithi: highly accomplished traditional singer from Bangladesh, currently performing in the local group 'Gaanwala'.
- Sanaz Fotouhi: published writer who draws on her lived experiences of the Iranian diaspora in Australia and her travels across the globe.
- Steve Pettenon: mixed-media visual artist who incorporates drawing, collage, photography and sculpture.
- Teena Moffatt: Yorta Yorta, Gundjitmara and GunaiKurnai woman who incorporates traditional art and cultural practice with contemporary life and finds new ways to connect this knowledge with community.
COMMENDATION AWARDEES
William Oh – Photography
Muhammad Saad Aamer – Photography
Esma Ozdemir - Photography
Eden Menta – Visual Art
Jaidyn Attard – Writing
Monique Luzza – Visual Art
Helen Fraser – Visual Art
Kathy Medbury – Visual Art
