2026 Emerging Artist Award Exhibition

The City’s Emerging Artist Award 2026 Exhibition will be open to the public for viewing and sales from Friday 9 October - Saturday 17 October at the South Perth Community Hall. The exhibition provides a great opportunity to see new works by talented emerging artists. Visitors to the exhibition can purchase artworks and nominate their favourite artwork in the Soco Realty People’s Choice Award.

A series of associated art events will be held during the exhibition period. 

The Emerging Artist Award, with a prize pool of over $15,000, provides emerging artists of all ages an opportunity to exhibit their work to the wider community.

Exhibition hours

10.00am–4.00pm daily

Have your say and vote in the Soco Realty People's Choice Award

Voting will commence at the Awards Ceremony on Thursday 8 October and will conclude on Saturday 17 October. All artworks in the exhibition will be considered for this award. The People’s Choice Award will be presented to the artwork that receives the most public votes during the exhibition.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced via the City’s website and other channels after the exhibition. The People’s Choice winning artwork will be reproduced in large scale and pasted up in the under croft carpark at Coles Supermarkets at Angelo Street, alongside previous winners.

Judges

Michelle Broun

Michelle is a proud Yindjibarndi woman, living and working on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja. She is a creative producer and cultural planner with a background in textiles and design and lead curator of Ngalang Koort Boodja Wirn gallery at WAM Boola Bardip and Wadjemup Wirin Bidi at Wadjemup Museum. She has curated artworks by the child artists of the Carrolup Native Settlement (created 1946-1950) which have toured internationally. Michelle has a Masters in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, specialising in collection and curating.

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah is an artist living on Bindjareb Nyungar country, on a cattle farm in the Peel region of Western Australia. Working primarily in sculpture and installation, he explores the intersections of identity, culture and the natural world. Living and working in an agricultural environment, his practice offers alternative perspectives across diverse, and often disparate communities.

Rebecca Baumann

Rebecca is an artist based in Boorloo/Perth, who works across sculpture, installation and performance. Her practice explores relationships between colour, time, space and materiality, and the emotive potential that exists when these elements converge in different ways. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and her work is held in numerous public collections including Art Gallery of Western Australia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.

Curator

Ron Nyisztor

Ron’s contributions to the arts, both as a curator and practicing artist, have been significant. His works are held and exhibited in collections nationally and internationally and has held many curatorial positions at leading galleries and institutions throughout his career. Ron is the founder and director of Nyisztor Studio, an artist-run initiative in formerly in Melville, now in Essex St Fremantle.

Sponsors

• Emerging Artist Award $5,000 | Sponsored by Rosalin Sadler
• Local Theme Award $1,000 | Sponsored by Karalee on Preston
• Resident Award $1,000 | Sponsored by Geoff Baker MLA
• Secondary School Artist Award $1,000 | Sponsored by Preston Street IGA
• Young Artist Award $1,000 | City of South Perth
• First Nations Artist Award $1,000 | Sponsored by John Curtin Gallery
• Painting Award $1,000
| Sponsored by White Frame
• Sculpture/Textiles Award $1,000
| Sponsored by Liquor Barons on Angelo
• Works on Paper Award $1,000
| Sponsored by Allan Herbert Sadler
• People’s Choice Award $1,000 | Sponsored by SOCO Realty