One of Australia’s most historic and respected art awards – whose home is right here in the great South West – has revealed its latest chapter.
Liverpool Powerhouse has announced the 33 finalists in the 69th Blake Art Prize, a cornerstone of the Australian art calendar and one of the nation’s longest-running awards dedicated to exploring universal themes of spirituality, religion and belief – a rather topical subject matter right now.
Established in 1951, the Blake Prize has played a defining role in shaping Australia’s cultural landscape for more than seven decades.
Generations of artists have used the Blake as a platform to examine faith, philosophy and the human condition, themes that continue to resonate deeply across contemporary practice.
The 2026 finalists were selected by visual artist Claudia Nicholson, writer and academic Associate Professor Chris Fleming, and First Nations curator Tess Allas.
They said in a statement the shortlisted works demonstrate that spirituality, belief, and religion remain vital and generative concerns within contemporary artistic practice and culture more generally.
“Not as a single tradition or belief system, but as a field encompassing diverse practices, orientations, inheritances, doubts, and relations to religion and culture more broadly,” the judges’ statement said.
“The shortlist reflects both the vitality of the field and the capacity of contemporary art to approach spiritual questions with rigour, openness, and imaginative force.”
The shortlisted works will be on exhibition from May 2 to June 14 at Liverpool Powerhouse, with winners announced at the official launch event on Friday, May 1.
Awards presented on the night will include the Blake Art Prize, the Poetry Prize (in partnership with WestWords, Western Sydney Centre for Writing), the Blake acquisitive art prize and the Blake next generation scholarship.
Voting will then open for the Blake People’s Choice art prize.
Tina Bono, the Liverpool City Council director of community and lifestyle, said the Blake Prize holds a special place in Australia’s artistic history.
“For 75 years, the Blake Prize has been a significant force in Australian art, encouraging artists to engage with ideas that have shaped cultures and communities for centuries,” Ms Bono said.
“Liverpool is proud to be the home of such an important national prize. It reflects our city’s diversity, creativity and deep respect for culture and heritage.”
