Have Your Say In The Prestigious Lester Prize Portrait Awards, On Now At AGWA

Now in its 16th year, the Lester Prize is one of the country’s most prestigious art awards – and you can now have your say, with voting now open for the coveted Baldock Family People’s Choice award and its huge $15,000 cash prize. 

This year’s Lester Prize drew an impressive 720 entrants from across the country, with the 40 finalists selected by an esteemed panel of judges. Entries touch upon a huge range of mediums and styles, with the works as varied as the artists behind them – from delicate photorealism to bold expressionism, all exploring the intimacy of relationships and the diverse feelings between subject and artist.

Subjects of the works include self portraits, loved ones and notable Australians, including musicians Paul Kelly, Joe Geia and Tim Roger and fellow artists David Sequeira and George Haynes.

With entries currently on display at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the prize provides a huge platform for artists to showcase their work: emerging artists make up an impressive half of the 40 finalists, alongside 13 former finalists.

Get a deep dive into the artworks by attending one of the free artist talks during the exhibition’s last weekend, which provide a compelling insight into the artists’ processes, techniques  and inspirations.

Or you can even jump onto a virtual tour to check out the artworks themselves hanging up in the art gallery!

Visit AGWA before November 20 to see the Lester Prize works in person and have your say in the Peoples’ Choice prize there or head online to cast your vote.