Trades Hall Art Prize 2026 “A Living Monument”
For more than 165 years, Victorian Trades Hall has stood as a place of organising, resistance, celebration, creativity and solidarity. Built by workers, and sustained by generations of workers, activists and community members, it remains the heart of the union movement in Victoria and the oldest continuously operating trade union buildings in the world.
Now nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing, the building is being recognised not only for its history, but for what it continues to represent: collective action, democracy, culture and the enduring fight for justice at work and beyond.
The 2026 Trades Hall Art Prize invites artists to respond to the building in all its forms.
We want to see works that depict the building itself, draw inspiration from its architecture and history, reflect on the movements and people who pass through its halls, or explore what Trades Hall means to workers, activists and communities across Victoria and the world.
This could include:
– Portraits or interpretations of the building
– Works inspired by union struggles, meetings, marches and campaigns in or outside the building
– Reflections on solidarity, labour, community and collective power
– Responses to the history held within the building’s walls
– Contemporary visions of what Trades Hall represents today and into the future
All mediums are welcome.
Whether your work is deeply personal, political, historical, experimental or celebratory, we encourage artists to engage with the idea of Trades Hall as both a physical place and a living symbol.
Selected pieces will be part of the Trades Hall Art Prize exhibition held in Paddy’s Gallery at Trades Hall throughout Melbourne Fringe Festival and into November (1 October – 27 November).
The winning work will be awarded $5,000. The piece will be aquired by Trades Hall and become part of the permanent collection.
The remaining selected artists will be paid a $750 fee for the production of your work and loaning the piece to for the duration of the exhibition.
Timeline:
1 September – Applications Close
4 September – Successful artists notified
25 September – Final Day to have your work delivered to the hall
1 October – Exhibition opening night
27 November – Final day of exhibition
30 November to 11 December – collect your works from Trades Hall.
For more information click here
