The Kilgour Prize is an annual non-acquisitive art prize for figurative and portrait painting. This major Australian art prize awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art as selected by the judging panel. A People’s Choice award of $5,000 is presented for the painting voted most popular by the public during the exhibition.
Newcastle Art Gallery celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the Kilgour Prize this year. Administered by Newcastle Art Gallery since 2006, the Kilgour Prize was established following the generous bequest of renowned Newcastle-based figurative and portrait painter, Jack Noel Kilgour (1900-1987).
The Kilgour Prize features a strong resume of past winners including the late renowned British-born Australian artist Nicholas Harding, who took out the inaugural competition with Beach life (pink zinc and figures), 2006.
The 2018 prize was awarded to one of Australia’s most exciting emerging artists of the time, Natasha Walsh, whose Kilgour victory was among three prestigious art awards she captured over a period of twelve weeks.
A string of former Archibald Prize winners and finalists are also among the Kilgour Prize recipients, including Sydney-based artist Blak Douglas in 2019, Mambo artist Michael Bell in 2020, and Newcastle painter Peter Gardiner in 2016. The open competition is judged by a panel including Lauretta Morton OAM, Director, Newcastle Art Gallery, and two esteemed industry professionals each year.
Finalists are displayed in the annual exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery from April to October 2027.
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