Central Coast Council’s biennial EMERGING art prize for early career artists will be announced at Gosford Regional Gallery on 3 February 2023, as part of this year’s EMERGING exhibition.

The popular EMERGING exhibition, running between 3 February and 26 March at the Gosford Regional Art Gallery, will reveal the work of successful applicants in the biennial art prize.  

Central Coast Council Unit Manager Community and Culture, Glenn Cannard said the exhibition and event have been brought together in a program that promotes the Gallery state-wide while supporting emerging artists to deliver works of a professional standard, and opportunities for the local community to participate in the process. 

“This art prize is an important action of the Central Coast Cultural Plan and supports the development of innovative and contemporary work across all art-forms,” Mr Cannard said.

Submissions were invited from early career artists, aged between 18-30 years, in NSW working in a diverse array of visual arts with selected works gaining the experience of exhibiting a new or existing body of work at Gosford Regional Gallery, supporting a wide range of installation-based practices and non-traditional mediums for presentation to a regional gallery audience.

“Expect to be impressed by a variety of high-quality works that were selected to exhibit from Sydney and the Hunter region, including Remy Faint, Alexandra Jonscher, Lihnida Krstanoska-Blazeska, NC Qin, Monica Rani Rudhar and James Rhodes.

“A $5,000 prize will be awarded on 3 February opening night of the exhibition at 6.30pm by Artspace Sydney Curator, Tahlia Linz.” 

Local artists are also invited to attend a professional networking and development event at the Gallery on 23 February at 6pm, starting with 107 Projects leading a toolbox talk, followed by DJ Ballast in the Edogawa Japanese Gardens, and the opportunity to get a free head shot by a portrait photographer.

Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart said the continued support for the prize and quality of submissions since 2003 highlights the program’s importance in NSW.

“The quality of submissions demonstrates our region is a lively and welcoming place to participate in arts and culture, and an established centre for the emerging and professional creative sector,” Mr Hart said.

“The Gosford Regional Gallery has flow on effects for the local economy and a focus on public programs offers new opportunities to engage with art and culture on the Coast.”