South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA) invites artists from across Australia to submit entries to the 2024 Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Shirley Hannan was a gifted Bega Valley portraitist and a generous patron of the arts.
SECCA's acting gallery director, Jas Brown, said the ongoing generosity of the award patron's family had enabled the Shirley Hannan Trust to again offer $50,000 in prize money.
The biennial award has not been held since 2020 due to redevelopment of the gallery space in Bega.
This year will see the newly opened and award-nominated SECCA space host the Shirley Hannan Portrait Award for the first time.
"A prerequisite for the award is that those works selected to hang depict their subjects accurately without abstraction and demonstrate a sound skill and knowledge of drawing and painting technique," Ms Brown said.
"The award remains one of Australia's most loved prizes for realistic portraiture and continues to draw interest in the enduring role and relevance of portraiture painting in contemporary art.
"It's the highlight of our gallery program and we are constantly impressed with the high quality and volume of entries received from across the nation from respected artists and emerging names.
"The finalists will be chosen by a guest judge of esteemed note in the arts, which we will announce later in the year."
Entries opened May 27 and close on September 30.
All entries are to be submitted via online channels only.
Visit the SECCA website for further information and to enter.
