About the Art on Show Awards
The Mackay Show Association is proud to introduce the Art on Show Awards, non-acquisitive art competition and exhibition. The prestigious Art on Show Awards event was established by the Mackay Show Association in 2006, and now celebrates eighteen years of competition and Arts excellence. From humble beginnings in 2006 this event has matured into one of Queensland’s prominent high profile arts events, held in conjunction with the annual Mackay Regional Show. The Art on Show Awards are now a major cultural event, with entries received from renowned and up and coming artists Australia wide.
Previously judged by: Directors from our regional gallery Artspace Mackay, and New England Regional Art Museum. Curators from the Queensland Art Gallery, Art Gallery of New South Wales, national Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, and Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. Prominent internationally acclaimed Australian artists, G.W Bot, Joe Furlonger, Ron McBurnie, Rona Green, David Fairbairn, Deanna Hitti and Dr. Anneke Silver.
A celebration of cultural community, the vibrant official opening and prize presentation evening officially opened in 2019 by the Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk, a pinnacle for the event. This diverse exhibition is open to the public for viewing and purchasing high quality works. An impressive showcase of our regional artistic talent and interstate work during the four days of the Art on Show Event.
2024 celebrates eighteen years, each year showing increased strength and attracting overwhelming interest both regionally and nationwide. 2023 was a record year for entries. coupled with dramatically increased art sales and heightened popularity with show patrons and art lovers.
The Mackay Show Association is committed to supporting Australian artists, and the initiative behind establishing The Art on Show Awards was to take the arts to a higher level of professionalism within the context of a public/community art competition in the show “arena”. Our continuing aim is to seek a very significant level of participation from artists nation-wide, provide a high standard of presentation where art may be viewed, studied and critised, play an integral part in our regions cultural future, as a high profile arts prize, and provide an educational role, raising awareness and promoting the arts to patrons attending the Mackay Regional Show and The Art on show event.
Banner Image: Jan Ward, A Flurry of Moths (detail).
Images from top:
Carmen Beezley- Drake, Dawn at Dry dam
Kaye Green, Guardian trees with multiple trunks
Avril Makula, The Hawthorne Birds
Our Sponsors
We would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank our sponsors and in-kind partners for making the Art on Show Awards possible. Their shared commitment to investing in the cultural future of our region, by supporting the stories and imagination of talented Australian artists, is admirable and a quality the Mackay Show Association is extremely grateful for. Our Sponsors play an integral part in allowing us to provide a vital educational role, promoting the arts to patrons attending the Art On Show Awards and Mackay Regional Show and directly support cultural life in our region.
