The Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 is a national contemporary art award in both 2D and new media presented by Sunshine Coast Council.

The acquisitive Major Prize award winner receives $25,000 cash.

A non-acquisitive Highly Commended Prize of $5,000 cash.

A non-acquisitive People’s Choice Prize of $2,500 cash will be awarded to the artist receiving the most votes during the exhibition.

Finalists will also be eligible for the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize Residency, a two-week artist residency.

Freight of the 40 finalist works to and from the exhibition will be organised and sponsored by Caloundra Regional Gallery in partnership with International Art Services (IAS).

Eligible entries

Entrants must be 18+. One application only per artist.
Entries must be the original, unaided work of the entrant, executed within the two years prior to the entry closing date.
No AI generated artwork will be accepted.
The Sunshine Coast National Art Prize is open to any Australian resident living and working in Australia in any two-dimensional (2D) medium OR new media work.
Photographic, print and new media entries need to specify the edition number of the work eg. Edition 1/5.
New media works – for entries requiring a digital playing device, artists need to indicate their preference on the entry form for either: Television or Projector (NOTE: preference only, not guaranteed). Works may be shown on a looping ‘show reel’ with others. Files must be provided on CD or USB in the following formats: MP4 or AVI. A maximum duration of 30 minutes (incl. credits).
All works entered in the prize must be available for display, and for purchase (should it be selected as a finalist), for the duration of the exhibition.
Caloundra Regional Gallery will retain a 25% commission of the sale price for any of the finalists artwork sold during the exhibition.
Artwork which has already been sold will not be eligible for inclusion and no further correspondence will be entered into.
Artwork that is flat, possessing height and width, but no depth, such as a drawing, print, photograph, textile or work on canvas is eligible for the prize.
The finished work must not exceed 155cm in either length or width inclusive of frame. Bas or low-relief artwork in which materials protrude slightly from a flat background to a depth of no more than 5cm is also eligible.
If works are framed (a stretched canvas is considered framed) they need to be fitted with D rings 100mm from the top of the work. All works must be ready to be displayed and it is at the Gallery’s discretion how unframed works are displayed.
Submission of three artwork images is mandatory. However, only the first uploaded artwork (nominated work) will be considered for selection. The two additional works are compulsory to substantiate the entrant’s submission as evidence of their arts practice.
For new media work, artist is to submit a still image of the work and well as a video file to represent the artwork being considered, along with images/stills of two addition artworks.
No work submitted shall have been entered into the Sunshine Coast Art Prize in any previous years.
Entries representing partnerships between individuals will be accepted as one entry and on the understanding that each partner’s contribution is deemed equal.
Artists pre-selected for the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize will allow their works to be reproduced (in full or cropped) by print and electronic media in the advertising and promotion of the exhibition and for the exhibition catalogue.
If the work is selected as the winner of the prize, the artist must be able to transfer full title of the work to Sunshine Coast Council.
All expenses incurred in the submission of the entry are the responsibility of the applicant.
Sunshine Coast Council/Caloundra Regional Gallery reserves the right to determine the most appropriate method for displaying artworks, and to refuse to display any works deemed inappropriate or unsafe.

Entries

All entries into the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 must be submitted online through the Caloundra Regional Gallery website.
Ensure you have submitted the correct information on your entry, no additional changes can be made after the submission has been completed.
A complete online submission means the upload of the following:
Artist contact details.
- Entry fee of $45 (non-refundable) payable by credit card online.
- Three image files. One image of each artwork. Images must be jpeg format only (300dpi, 2MB). Only the nominated image will be considered for the Sunshine Coast Art Prize.
- Image 1: The nominated artwork must have been executed within the two years prior to the entry closing date. (Only this work will be considered for entry into the prize.)
- Image 2 and 3: The two supporting images do not need to adhere to art prize guidelines.
- Each file name should be clearly labelled with the artist's surname (capitals), first name (lowercase), image number and title of the work. eg. SMITH_John_01_Mona Lisa, SMITH_John_02_Starry Night, SMITH_John_03_Persistence of Memory.
- New media entries must include a still from the work along with actual artwork (or excerpt of artwork) in one of the following formats: MP4 or AVI. A maximum duration of 30 minutes (incl. credits).
- An artist statement about the nominated work (maximum 150 words, in Word doc format only, 2MB)
- An artist CV giving current biographical and/or exhibition information. One page (A4) in Word doc format only, 2MB. No additional material, text or images will be viewed by the panel.

Applications open on Sunday 15 Febrary 2026 and must be submitted by Sunday 10 May 2026, 11.59 AEST (Queensland time).

Pre-selection / judging

All entries submitted will be presented for review by a pre-selection panel, from which 40 finalist works will be selected to exhibit in the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 exhibition.
Artworks will be shortlisted by a professional panel based on a set of curatorial rationale including concept, workmanship and originality.
Once the pre-selection process has been completed, all entrants will be advised of the outcome. Finalists will be announced in June 2026.
Each year an independent judge is invited to select the winner of the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize, the Highly Commended winner and the Sunshine Coast Artist Residency winner from the 40 finalists in the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize exhibition.
The pre-selection panel and judge's decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Participation in the prize

The 40 finalists selected for the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 will receive further details on participation in the Prize.

The artworks will be exhibited in the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 exhibition from 21 August until 11 October 2026 at the Caloundra Regional Gallery, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Freight of the 40 finalist works to and from the exhibition will be organised by the Caloundra Regional Gallery with International Art Services (IAS). Collection of the finalist works will commence in June/July 2026, the finalists will be contacted by IAS.

Return of finalist works will occur approximately 2-4 weeks after the closure of the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 exhibition.

Advise if you do not wish to be considered for the residency prize.

Publication and copyright

Sunshine Coast Council/Sunshine Coast National Art Prize assumes all entries are original and are the works and/or property of the entrant with all rights granted therein.
Sunshine Coast Council is the sole owner of the information collected from the entry forms and any other information submitted, and will not sell, share or rent the information to others except for the sole purpose of advertising or promoting the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize. The personal information of the applicant is protected from loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure or other misuse by network and system security.
By submitting this entry the entrant is consenting to the use of their contact information for the purposes of receiving information about the outcome of their entry in the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize.
Should the contact information provided change between the time that the entry is submitted and the results are announced, please contact the Caloundra Regional Gallery via email at artprize@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au to update your details.
The names of finalists will be published on the Caloundra Regional Gallery website once a decision has been made.
Finalists will be asked to provide a high-resolution image file (300dpi 10 - 15MB) of their submission for promotional material or publication. The finalist agrees that the artwork may be reproduced by the gallery for critical review, archival and/or promotional purposes. Sunshine Coast Council/Sunshine Coast National Art Prize is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will at all times attribute authorship of the work.

For further information contact:

Sunshine Coast National Art Prize

Caloundra Regional Gallery

Ph (07) 5420 8299

For art prize related enquiries: artprize@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

For general gallery enquiries: gallery@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

Sunshine Coast Council offers support for the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize through the Caloundra Regional Gallery team, during work hours only. Sunshine Coast Council reserves the right to update these terms and conditions at any time.