Call for submissions are now open for the 2026 Burwood Art Prize, inviting Sydney-based artists to respond to this year’s theme I AM HERE.
The Burwood Art Prize encourages thoughtful reflections on cultural identity, personal narrative and a celebration of the many voices that shape contemporary multicultural Australia.
We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Burwood Art Prize includes a $20,000 acquisitive award, offering a significant opportunity for artists to have their work recognised and acquired for the Burwood Council Collection.
This year also marks an exciting new partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art, strengthening the Burwood Art Prize’s commitment to supporting artistic practice and expanding professional pathways for emerging and established artists.
We welcome entries from artists at all stages of their careers and look forward to presenting a considered selection of works as part of the 2026 Burwood Art Prize exhibition.
For more information and to submit a proposal, click here.
We are pleased to introduce Pedro de Almeida, Phaptawan Suwannakudt, and Billy Bain as the judging panel for the 2026 Burwood Art Prize. The panel brings together curatorial expertise, artistic practice and diverse cultural perspectives to guide the selection of works for this year’s exhibition.
Pedro is Senior Curator, C3West, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, where he leads the MCA’s long-running C3West program, bringing artists and communities together to develop projects that respond to local contexts across Western Sydney. Pedro joins the judging panel as part of the newly announced partnership between Burwood Council and the MCA, contributing curatorial insight and experience in contemporary, place-based practice.
Phaptawan is a Thai-Australian artist based in Sydney. Working across painting, sculpture and installation, her practice draws on lived experience and engages with issues of empathy and commensurability informed by Buddhism, women’s perspectives, and cross-cultural dialogue. Suwannakudt has exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally, and her work is held in public collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artbank, and the National Gallery Singapore.
Billy is a Dharug artist based in Sydney. His practice spans ceramics, painting, installation and printmaking, and is grounded in lived engagement with Country, community and coastal spaces. Drawing on surfing as both methodology and cultural inheritance, his work examines how histories of colonisation, localism, and belonging are embedded in Australian landscapes, particularly along rivers and beaches. Bain’s work has been exhibited widely and is held in public collections including National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Image credit: Durian is EXXY, by Mechelle Bounpraseuth (2025 Burwood Art Prize recipient)
For more information click here
