The first ever Inner North Art Prize in 2016 was a wonderful representation of the artistic talent and community support that we set out to capture when Chris Faris (the man behind the plan) brought together our small founding team for a drink at Tilley’s in February 2016 to create a brand new community-run art prize for Canberra’s artists and art lovers.
2016 PRIZE
INAP 2016
The response we received in the inaugural year was incredible. We received over 100 entries from local artists, fundraised over $2,500 for the main prize through donations from the community, and presented the work of 36 finalists for our first ever exhibition at The Front Gallery and Cafe. We also used the extra funds raised and some of the profits from the entry fees to fund a limited edition print run of the Inner North Art Prize catalogue, showcasing every entry received to the prize including the 36 finalists.
THEME
The theme for the 2016 Inner North Art Prize was: CROSSING BOUNDARIES.
SELECTION PANEL
Our judges for 2016 were David Williams, Bev Hogg, and Michael Cammack - three outstanding members of the Inner North arts community, who were integral to the success of the prize. David, Bev and Michael spent many hours with us, reading and viewing over 100 entries to the prize, as well as deliberating over the finalists at The Front the day before the exhibition launch late into the night. We would like to take this opportunity to recognise the inaugural selection panel’s commitment to supporting and promoting the Canberran art community and are grateful for their generous support in selecting the 2016 Inner North Art Prize finalists and winners - not to mention their advice, feedback and support in the lead-up to the exhibition and well into our planning for the 2017 prize.
WINNERS
The judges spent many hours deliberating over the final decisions for the awards. Congratulations to Jacob England (Selectors Choice Award), Amy Campbell (Eckersley's Student Prize) and Neet Smith (People's Choice Award sponsored by City Framing Gallery) - our Inner North Art Prize winners for 2016!
THANKS
A big thank you to all of our fantastic founding supporters who helped us reach our fundraising goal for the main prize, and to our generous sponsors - Eckersley's Art + Craft for their donation of a $500 voucher for the Student Award; City Framing Gallery for their donation of a $400 voucher for the People's Choice Award; Pact Beer Co for generously donating delicious brews for the launch event; and The Front Gallery and Cafe for providing us with the space to showcase the work of our finalists. Thanks must also go to all our brilliant artists for entering the prize and sharing their talent with us and the Inner North community. We hope to see you again in 2017 for the second Inner North Art Prize!