Midsumma Art Award 2027

About this call

The Midsumma Art Award is a national visual arts award in Australia celebrating contemporary LGBTQIA+ artists, presented by Midsumma Festival in Melbourne since 2016. The non-acquisitive annual award surveys outstanding queer artists working across mediums, reflecting their personal and political perspectives. Finalists, selected by Midsumma's artistic team on artistic merit and balance of art forms, exhibit as part of Midsumma Festival, 17 January to 7 February 2027. The Major Prize winner receives $6,000 cash, the People's Choice winner $1,000 cash, and the Bundoora Homestead Art Prize winner a paid residency/exhibition opportunity at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre in the following year. The award is non-acquisitive: winners keep ownership and copyright of their work.

Who can apply

• Australia only
• Medium: Painting / Drawing / Photography / Printmaking / Sculpture / Textile / Ceramics / Installation / Mixed Media / New Media / Video / Performance
• Entry fee: See official site
• For queer (LGBTQIA+) artists who are Australian residents; the entry form also takes artistic collectives or groups. Work must be original, with the artist holding copyright, created in the last two years and not previously exhibited as part of this award. Not open to the 2026 winner, or to employees (and their immediate families) of selection committee members, judges or Midsumma Festival staff directly associated with the competition, or relatives of staff on the selection committee or judges. Any medium and scale; artists can submit as many artworks as they like, each one different. The online form asks for each work's title, year, medium, dimensions and price (or NFS), display notes, an artist statement and a biography (1200 characters each, including spaces), a one-page CV, up to three high-resolution images, a weblink to the full-length version of any video or audio work, and a headshot. Finalists are notified in December 2026 and must exhibit during Midsumma Festival 2027 (17 January to 7 February), install and de-install their work during gallery business hours, cover all costs of materials, display, technical equipment, freight, travel and deliveries, and pack their work for freight. Artwork is not insured during transport; works not collected after the exhibition become Midsumma Festival's property. Sale through the host gallery is optional and the gallery may take a commission; a sold work not packed by the artist at the end of the exhibition incurs a $50 packaging fee. No entry fee is stated.