In the fourteenth year of The Lester Prize, the work of the forty finalists has returned to the Art Gallery of WA.
The Lester Prize is one of the nation’s most recognised and prestigious fine art prizes. The prize pool available to professional, emerging and young artists is now worth almost $85,000, including the main prize of $50,000.
This year's forty finalists were chosen from 750 entries received from artists across Australia. Twelve finalists are from WA, eight from NSW, seven from VIC, five from SA, three each from QLD and TAS, and one each from the ACT and NT. Sixteen of the finalists have been named as finalists in previous years of the competition.
This year’s Main Awards Panel comprises of Western Australian artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah; AGWA Associate Curator, Projects Rachel Ciesla; Alan R Dodge AM; Perth based curators Gemma Weston and Laetitia Wilson.
The finalists' artworks are on display in the Centenary Galleries at AGWA from 31 October to 29 November 2020.
The winners were announced on 30 October at the Main Awards Night at AGWA. The Richard Lester Prize for Portraiture 2020 winner was Serena Cowie for her work titled The conversation.
This year's prize pool consists of:
- The Richard Lester Prize for Portraiture (selected by a panel of judges) | $50,000
- Tony Fini Foundation Artist Prize (selected by artists’ peers) | $10,000 cash
- Minderoo Foundation Spirit Prize | $10,000 cash
- Baldock Family People’s Choice Prize (selected by the general public) | $10,000 cash
- Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize | $5,000 cash
- Highly Commended x 2 (selected by a panel of judges) | $1,000 cash, $550 domestic art transport voucher, $500 framing voucher plus $250 art supplies voucher each
About the Prize:
The Lester Prize is managed by The Lester Inc, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2007 to provide an avenue for artists to exhibit works of portraiture within Western Australia. With an annual prize pool worth over $85,000, it is now one of the nation’s most recognised and prestigious fine art prizes.
Working with government, peak arts bodies and community groups, it plays a critical role in helping to diversify WA’s local economy, grow cultural tourism, and activate spaces through creative placemaking. The Lester Prize is proud to provide locals and visitors with the opportunity to engage with the best of the artform each year in a format that puts the artists and community front-and-centre.
The Lester Prize’s exhibitions and public events program is targeted at diverse groups in the community and includes artist floor talks, workshops, live art demonstrations and pop-up community activations across the city. The Prize advocates for Australian art and artists through a full month-long exhibition season which includes:
• Main Exhibition of original artworks at AGWA
• Youth Exhibition of original artworks at Brookfield Place
• Outdoor Salon des Refusés and Community Exhibitions at Perth Cultural Centre and Brookfield Place
• Big Screen Displays at various locations around Perth