The North Queensland Ceramic Awards have a brand new home and a large number of entries for the 2020 iteration of the competition.
Townsville City Council made the decision to waive the entry fee into the North Queensland Ceramic Awards (NQAC) last week and has accepted a huge 91 entries from local and national artists.
NQAC has a major acquisitive prize of $10,000.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said waiving the fees was just one way to help support the Townsville arts community during an uncertain time.
"The COVID-19 lockdown has changed the artistic landscape by closing down venues. This has no doubt been difficult for local artists, which is why Council made the decision to make entry into the Ceramic Awards free," Cr Hill said.
"This has paid off in spades and we now have more than 90 entries into the awards, which is a great result."
Cr Hill said NQAC would now be held at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.
"Our team at Townsville City Galleries is working hard to accommodate as much art as possible during this time despite last minute changes during this lockdown period," Cr Hill said.
"Council now has a space at our Perc Tucker Regional Gallery to show the great pieces submitted to the Ceramic Awards."
The North Queensland Ceramic Awards will be exhibited at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery from 24 July to 20 September.
