Growing out of the Little Sellers Art Prize - which has been running since 2016 to give school-aged artists a genuine gallery experience - the LSAP scholarship was introduced in 2022, helping the shire's young artists to test their talent beyond the classroom.
The 2025 scholarship recipient Lula Blyde completed a two-week stint at Sydney's National Art School earlier this year. Choosing to focus on painting, Lula spent her first week immersed in artworks, theory and technique before going on to develop her independent project in week two.
The experience has given Lula a much clearer picture of what comes next.
"Art has always been my passion and always been what I wanted to do. Being able to go to art school definitely made me realise it's more than a possibility," she says.
Lula has been exploring appropriation, borrowing elements from historic religious art and putting them to work in contemporary settings. Drawing on depictions of Adam and Eve, and Saint Sebastian, she's interrogating the way women are represented through art.
"I'm very passionate about women's advocacy. I want to comment on the portrayal of women throughout history," says Lula.
This is quite a leap from the work that caught the eye of the Little Sellers Art Prize judges. That piece grew from a childhood photo of Lula and her sister, exploring innocence, curiosity and wonder.
As she finishes Year 12 Lula is looking beyond Eurobodalla, applying for further art study in Melbourne. At the time of writing, she's submitted a digital portfolio ahead of interviews.
Council's manager of creative arts services Indi Carmichael says this is exactly the sort of artistic leap the scholarship was designed to encourage. And - as the driving force behind the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre, Basil Sellers Art Prize and Little Sellers Art Prize from the beginning - Indi should know.
"This scholarship is possible thanks to the generosity of art collector, philanthropist and long-time supporter of the arts Basil Sellers AO, who provides $2,000 to help Years 11 and 12 visual arts students further their studies," Indi says.
The Little Sellers Art Prize gives young artists from Years 1 to 12 the experience of seeing their work exhibited professionally. Indi says the next Little Sellers stories have already begun.
"We hung 203 entries on the walls of the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre this year, with Emily-Rose Wallace winning the prize and Amelia Hicks taking home the scholarship," says Indi.
"Sometimes a little backing is all it takes to turn I love doing this into this is what I want to do."
The 2026 Basil Sellers Art Prize will run at the Bas in December and January, with the winner announced on Friday 4 December. Visit https://thebas.com.au/
