2024 Judging Panel
More 2024 judges are to be announced.
The Hon. Justice John Sackar
President of Arts Law and advocate for the Australian arts community
About Hon. Justice John Sackar
Justice Sackar is a distinguished legal practitioner and a strong advocate for the Australian arts community and a keen collector of art and other objects. He is particularly passionate about protecting the moral and legal rights of artists and the special cultural integrity of Indigenous art.
John is also the current president for Arts Law.
Adam Knight
Art Consultant
About Adam Knight
Adam Knight’s involvement in the procurement and sale of works of contemporary Aboriginal art has spanned three decades. During this time Knight has come to influence the careers of prominent Aboriginal artists including Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Rover Thomas, Ningura Napurrula, Naata Nungurrayi, Tommy Watson, and Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre
Throughout his career, Knight has owned and operated eight commercial art galleries. His current ventures include the Director of Australia’s largest Aboriginal art gallery located at the renowned Mitchelton Winery in Victoria and The Hubert Estate, Gallery of Art in the Yarra Valley. Adam was a co-creator and a curator of The Lume experience ‘Connection’.
Adam has held numerous exhibitions internationally, including the UK, Dubai, China, Hong Kong, New York and over 100 nationally. Adam is a Past President and current Vice President of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia and a Government Approved Valuer for the Australian Cultural Gifts Program.
Dr Shireen Huda
Director Arts Programs, artsACT
About Dr Shireen Huda
Shireen was awarded a PhD in Art History, Curatorship and Film Studies by the Australian National University in 2004. She has published extensively on Australian art and the art market, including two books and articles in publications including The Weekend Australian, Australian Financial Review, the Australian Art Market Report, Art World, Australian Art Review and Art Monthly Australia.
Her professional experience – spanning almost thirty years – includes working in creative industries policy, program, festival, awards and business operations roles in government departments in all three levels of government.
Currently Director Arts Programs at artsACT, Shireen has previously worked in other cultural agencies and organisations, including Create NSW, Art Gallery of NSW, National Gallery of Australia, Mossgreen and the National Portrait Gallery.
Previous Judges
Emeritus Professor Sasha Grishin AM FAHA
Long-term art critic and author of over 25 books
About Emeritus Professor Sasha Grishin AM FAHA
Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA, is the author of more than 25 books on art, including Australian Art: A History, and has served as the art critic for The Canberra Times for forty years. He is an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, Canberra; Guest Curator at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and Australian Government, Department of Communications and the Arts Cultural Gifts Program approved valuer.
Wendy Sharpe
One of Australia’s most significant and awarded artists
About Wendy Sharpe
Wendy Sharpe is acclaimed as one of Australia’s most significant and awarded artists. She has won the Archibald Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Prize (twice) and the Sulman Prize (judged by Albert Tucker). She has received many major commissions which include Australian Official Artist to East Timor, the first woman to do so since World War II. Wendy is known for her strong figurative paintings, her use of narrative and a sensuous use of paint. She is the quintessential romantic painter, uncompromising, dedicated and unconcerned by fad or fashion. Her work addresses timeless issues such as love, passion, human relationships and what it is like to live in the world, subjects rarely expressed today in contemporary art. Wendy Sharpe’s work is based on drawing and imagination, made from intuition and experience. Her obvious understanding of drawing, composition and paint itself mean that she is often described as the painter’s painter.
Wayne Qulliam
Indigenous Literacy Foundation Ambassador and sits on the board of the Australian Aboriginal Art Association
About Wayne Qulliam
As one of Australia’s most lauded Aboriginal artists, curators and cultural advisors working on the international stage, Wayne continues to create new pathways for his people through the arts and storytelling.
His award-winning career includes the coveted NAIDOC Aboriginal Artist of the Year, National Photographic Portrait Award, Human Rights Media Award, Walkley Award for photojournalism.
He has created and curated over 300 exhibitions throughout the world and is the first photographer to hold four individual exhibitions at the UN in New York and Geneva for his work on Indigenous people’s rights.
In harmony with his photojournalistic work, he is recognised as one of the country’s top artists for his diverse art practices including the ‘Lowanna’ series that infuses textures of earth onto the human form. The DJIWARR series explores connection to Country as seen through the latest drone technology and his photographic exhibition of the ‘Apology’.
His series of works were shown on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for Vivid Sydney’s First Light ceremony that acknowledges First Nations culture.
Wayne’s also owns the first Aboriginal owned wine label with his partners at Mt Yengo, he began designing the labels then brought into the company which exports globally.
Curating ‘Connection’ the world’s largest Indigenous digital interactive experience at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra in 2022, the show opens on June 2023 the ‘Lume’ in Melbourne. He is also one of the featured artists in the show and his landscape and drone video and photography features throughout the immersion.
Wayne is the current National Photographic Portrait Award winner for his image of traditional dancer Eric Yunkanpora and the first Aboriginal photographer to be awarded the prestigious accolade.
His internationally acclaimed book ‘Culture is Life’ book sold out in 2022, and ‘Wayne Quilliam – Culture is Life’ was released in June 2023.
During the month-long Vivid Festival, Wayne’s art was projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Combining traditional storytelling and innovative 3D art, he brings to life the world’s oldest living culture.
Wayne is the winner of the 2022 British Journey of Photography Decade of Change Award which is currently on show in Dublin, Ireland.
His work is featured in the ‘While you were Sleeping’ exhibition at the Kambri at ANU, in Canberra and continues to tour Australia.
Winner of the 2022 Koori Heritage Trust City of Melbourne Art Award, for his traditional painting of Man on Country.
Wayne is the Kinaway Creative Business of the Year for 2022. This prestigious award recognises his leadership in the creative industry and excellence in business.
The highly regarded Pulitzer Centre in the USA features Waynes work as a part of the Worlds Indigenous collection of that is touring America and Europe.
10 of his works have recently been installed permanently in the Australian Embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Waynes work features at the PhotoVille Festival in New York City during its summer series.
VMG Art Series: “Earth Burns, Water Cries”, exhibition in Melbourne, Australia showcases Wayne’s artistic practice as a social documenter and provocateur.
Ten of Wayne’s creations are the featured artworks in the newly built Department of Agriculture in Canberra, Australia. The 6m x 3 m designs adorn each of the purpose built floors that connect culture and land to the state of the art premise.
More than 15 of his artworks have recently installed in the Australian Consulate in New Zealand as a permanent collection.
His work featured at the AfterPay Fashion Awards on all the catwalk backdrops.
The Head On Festival featured Wayne’s largest collections of photographic artworks during it’s 2022 gathering.
He is an Indigenous Literacy Foundation Ambassador and sits on the board of the Australian Aboriginal Art Association.
Tina Baum
Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia
About Tina Baum
Tina Baum, Gulumirrgin/Larrakia/Wardaman/
Deborah Clark
Art Historian
As featured in
