Artists challenged to produce small portraits

ARTISTS in Greater Bendigo are invited to enter the 2025 Living Arts Space Small Portrait Prize, which has been billed as a new opportunity to celebrate people from the region and tell their story through portraiture.

As part of the criteria, portraits are welcome in any two-dimensional medium, strictly between A5 and A3.

The artwork also must be of a person (animals and pets may feature) and works on paper, canvas will be accepted, as well as photographic materials used in collages.

COGB visitor services lead Liam Daniels said the region is lucky enough to be home to a large cohort of creatives who either enjoy their art as a hobby or work professionally in the field, and he expects to see a lot of interest from artists.

“This initiative will complement the exclusive international exhibition Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image at Bendigo Art Gallery as the Mexican icon was famous for her extraordinary portraits,” he said.

“For this new prize, it will be exciting to see a wide range of portraits inspired by people from all walks of life in the community.

“All entries will be assessed, and a list of finalists will be selected by a curator from Bendigo Art Gallery. Finalists will be displayed in the Living Arts Space for the duration of the Frida Kahlo exhibition.”

Submissions open on Monday 17 March and close at 4pm on Saturday 29 March.

Finalists will be notified by Friday 11 April and the exhibition opening celebration and awards announcement is due to be held on Saturday 3 May.

Enter via the Bendigo Region website.