Exhibitions

First established in 2015 as the Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize, the prize was relaunched in 2024 as the Bayside Painting Prize with an increase in prize money for the Major Prize to $25,000, making it one of the most generous non-acquisitive painting prizes in the country.

The $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize, named in honour of remarkable local modernist artist Clarice Beckett, is open to artists who demonstrate a connection to the municipality of Bayside or the work entered is of local subject matter. There is also a $1,000 People’s Choice Prize, announced at the conclusion of the exhibition.

The Bayside Painting Prize is Melbourne’s premier annual painting prize. The finalist exhibition brings together a broad range of artists from across Australia, both established and lesser known, whose varied approaches to the painted medium conveys the breadth and diversity of painting in Australia today.

A celebration of contemporary Australian painting, the prize is an important opportunity for Bayside City Council to add exceptional works of art with a local connection to its collection and to promote art and artists as a valuable part of the Australian community.

The judges for the 2026 prize are:
Jacqueline Doughty, Assistant Director – Curatorial, Art Gallery of Ballarat
Dr Shelley McSpedden, Senior Curator & Head of Exhibitions, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
Joanna Bosse, Curator, Bayside Gallery

2026 Finalists:
Samara Adamson‑Pinczewski, Graeme Altmann, Justin Balmain, Riley Beaumont, Natasha Bieniek, Seth Birchall, Bobby Bowers, Cathy Brown, Eleanor Louise Butt, Aaron C Carter, Ellie Chalmers‑Robinson, Kevin Chin, Greg Creek, Sean Crowley, Sarah Drinan, Ella Dunn, Andrew Duong, David Egan, Betra Fraval, Tim Gregory, Anna Hoyle, Clare Jaque Vasquez, Anthea Kemp, Martin King, Adam Lee, Kathy Liu, Cally Lotz, Jordan Marani, Alasdair McLuckie, Fiona McMonagle, Nick Modrzewski, Jessica Nothdurft, Jahnne Pasco‑White, Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Kenny Pittock, Julia Powles, Adam Pyett, David Ralph, Lucy Roleff, Khashayar Salmanzadeh, Lynn Savery, Nicola Smith, Dave Snook, Adriane Strampp, Rebecca Suares‑Jury, David Hugh Thomas, Kate Vassallo, Caroline Walls, Darren Wardle.

The Bayside Painting Prize exhibition will be on display at Bayside Gallery from Friday 1 May – Sunday 14 June 2026.