Youth Art Prize

The Youth Art Prize is an open prize with all entries to be exhibited to local audiences! While prizes are awarded, the joy of experiencing artwork being displayed in a public exhibition is the real prize.

The competition is free to enter to all secondary school students who live, work or study in the Mildura Rural City Council municipality. One entry per person will be accepted. Entry is free.

Categories and prizes are as follows:

Years 7 & 8: Prize up to the value of $200
Years 9 & 10: Prize up to the value of $200
Years 11 & 12: Prize up to the value of $200
People’s choice – all entrants: Prize up to the value of $200

Key dates

21 July to 8 August: Online submissions open
Thursday 21 August: Artwork drop-off at Mildura Arts Centre between 3pm and 4.30pm
Monday 1 September: Celebration evening and Awards night Announcement at Mildura Arts Centre
Exhibition dates at Mildura Arts Centre: Friday 27 August until Sunday 5 October
8 to 10 October: Artwork will be returned to schools unless other arrangement organised

How do I enter?

Online submissions opened on Monday 21 July 2025 and closed Friday 8 August.

The competition is free to enter to all secondary school students who live, work or study in the Mildura Rural City Council municipality. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

What artwork mediums are accepted?

Artworks will be accepted across a range of mediums including drawing, painting, photography, and mixed media.

How do I present my work?

We ask that entries comply with the following guidelines:

Artworks must be suitable for public exhibition
All artwork is to be clearly labelled with name, phone number, school and year level on the back of the artwork
Drawings, photography or works on paper should be mounted on a sheet of black rigid cardboard or mountboard
Framing is not required. Where entrants have chosen to frame a work, we encourage Perspex instead of glass
Paintings on board or canvas must be delivered with D-rings affixed to the rear of the artwork. Wet paintings will not be accepted
All artwork is entered at the artist's own risk
Artworks larger than A3 border size will not be accepted

Judging

The judges’ decision is final, and no subsequent discussion will be entered into. Due to the expected high volume of entries, individual feedback cannot be given.

Entry of artwork to the competition constitutes the artist’s permission for competition organisers to reproduce the work without fee for the purpose of promotion in print and electronic media. No responsibility will be taken by competition organisers for damage or breakages of artwork. Every care will be taken by competition organisers to minimise risk of damage.

Council staff reserve the right to change, deny or remove any work of art, signage or wording placed in the gallery that is deemed inappropriate, unsuitable, poorly presented or offensive to public taste. Artists and their teacher/parent/guardian will be informed of this decision.

Award presentation

Winners will be announced at the 2025 Youth Awards Night to be held at Mildura Arts Centre on Monday 1 September. The winners' announcement will be released on Youth Engagement Services social media channels (Facebook and lnstagram).

The People's Choice Award will be voted on for the duration of the exhibition and will be announced via Youth Engagement Services social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) and at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Collection

All artwork will be returned to schools between 8 to 10 October, unless other arrangements have been made.

Photography

Participants exhibiting in the Youth Art Prize also agree to have their work and themselves photographed for promotional purposes related to the Youth Art Prize.

This includes print media and Mildura Rural City Council's social media pages. Participants who do not wish to have their images used for these purposes should contact youthservices@mildura.vic.gov.au to notify us before 15 August 2025.