Bringing poetry to life

Entries are now open for two of the feature events of the 2024 Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival – the John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art Prize and the Design Prize.

With generous support from long-time sponsor The Balnaves Foundation the winning artist of the John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art Prize will receive $12,000, with a further Local Art Prize of $1000 contributed by passionate festival stalwart and founding committee member Lois Hodge.

The John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art Prize is open to all emerging and established artists throughout Australia and entries must be inspired by the works of this early Penola poet.

JSN Art Prize Coordinator and Festival Committee chair John Mossop said the JSN annually attracted a wide range of entries from artists and designers working in a two dimensional medium, and has firmly made its mark on the artists’ calendar.

All artists – amateur, professional and students – are encouraged to enter, and each two dimensional artwork, suitably framed and ready for hanging, must be of a subject inspired by the poetry of John Shaw Neilson.

The Balnaves Foundation, a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves AO to provide support to charitable enterprises across Australia, has been the generous sponsor of the prize since 2011.

As in past years, a Local Art Prize is open to those artists residing within the Limestone Coast as a further encouragement for the local community to get involved.

Also calling for entries is the 2024 Design Prize of $1000, sponsored by Hansen Design & Print, which sees the winner’s graphic design work used for inspiration for the promotional material for the following year’s festival.

The chosen design – which must be square, an amended stipulation this year – will be used for all 2025 promotional material including a full colour program, posters, flyers, the website, banners and more. Entries can be an illustration, painting or graphic design.

It was created to celebrate design creativity and excellence and provides an ideal forum for emerging designers to have their work recognised through a professional platform.

“The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival Committee aims to create a dynamic, exciting event each year, and it is through Competitions such as these that the festival really does shine,” Mr Mossop said.

The announcement of the 2024 John Shaw Neilson Art Prize and Design Prize winners will mark the official opening of the Festival on Thursday, May 16, at the Penola High School. The exhibition will be on display for a week following the festival.

The winning John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art entry will be included in the acquisitive collection of previous winners at the Penola Coonawarra Visitor Information Centre.

Entries for both competitions close on Friday, May 10.

Further details and Competition forms are available on the website https://artsfestival.com.au/competitions/