Young & Emerging Artists Exhibition 2025
For young artists aged 15 to 25 and emerging artists aged 25+.
Exhibition dates: 22 July - 21 August 2025
Luminance Gallery Port Macquarie
2/26 Clarence Street, across the forecourt from Glasshouse.
Paintings, mixed media & photography by young and emerging artists from the NSW Mid North Coast.
Elizabeth Yan, Still Life, acrylic on canvas, 25 x 30cm. $250
Lana Cooper, Black-Chinned Honeyeater, watercolour on art paper, 42 x 59cm. $800
Zen Steep, Offshore, still life photography, 36 x 43cm. $75
Sophie Pynaert, The Business Deal, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40cm. $250
Alycia Lipovac, The Breakfast Table, oil on canvas, 51 x 40cm. $300
Samantha Aguila, Weaving, charcoal on paper, 55cm x 65cm (two pieces of paper, dimensions including space between). $860
Chloe Hibbard, Unseen Yet Seen, acrylic on canvas, 31 cm x 31 cm. $200
Shyla Richards, Aurelia Aeternum, mixed media on canvas, 60 x 50cm. $700
Tallulah Hill, Welcome to the Real World, colour pencil and oil pastel on paper, 30x41cm. $325
Patrick Sexton, Captain Addo, mixed media on canvas, 72 x 50cm. $50
Stephanie Creigh, Fanta Crush, acrylic and gel impasto on canvas, 40 x 50cm. $500
Kaitlyn Pelt, It's Just A Lot, mixed media on canvas, 15.6 x 15.6cm including extruding pieces. $300
Luke Baker, Little Bay, acrylic on canvas, 76cm x 51cm. $875
For young & emerging artists with a connection to the NSW Mid North Coast.
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Who was eligible to enter?
Entries were invited for two categories:
1. Young Artists, aged 15 to 25;
2. Emerging Artists, aged 25+.
All entrants must have a connection to the NSW Mid North Coast, defined by the local government areas of Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Nambucca, Kempsey, Port Macquarie Hastings, Wauchope and Midcoast.
Eligible artworks were created between 1 June 2024 and 30 June 2025.
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How were entries accepted?
Entries were submitted on the Luminance website between Tuesday 15 April and Monday 30 June 2025.
One entry per person.
Entry was FREE.
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What happens next?
Luminance Gallery director Dr Dominic O’Grady shortlisted 24 entries from 51 submissions.
Finalists’ artworks will be exhibited at Luminance Gallery from 22 July - 21 August 2025.
Artists Wendy Stokes and Stephen Killick will assess this curated exhibition of finalists’ work and choose the best-in-show for each category.
A Peoples’ Choice Award will be chosen by popular vote, lodged at the exhibition.
Luminance Young Artists Exhibition & Art Prize 2025
Exhibition + mentorship + art supplies + invitation to exhibit again in the Luminance December Show.
Open to entrants in two categories:
Young artists aged 15 to 25; and emerging artists aged 25+. All entrants must articulate their connection to the NSW Mid North Coast.
Key dates
Entries open on 15 April 2025, close on 30 June 2025
Finalists announced on 9 July 2025
Exhibition opens on 22 July 2025 and runs until 21 August 2025
Luminance Art Prize winners announced on 2 August 2025
Exhibition venue
Luminance Art Gallery, 2/24 Clarence Street Port Macquarie. In the Garrison Building, opposite Glasshouse.
Art Prize sponsors
Luminance Art Prize sponsors include:
Eligibility
The Luminance Young Artists Exhibition & Art Prize is a youth-focussed Mid North Coast initiative. It offers young & emerging artists an opportunity to show their work and connect with audiences through a curated art exhibition at Luminance Art Gallery in Port Macquarie.
For the purpose of this exhibition, young artists are aged between 15 and 25 years old. Emerging artists are aged 25+.
Entrants must have a connection to the NSW Mid North Coast.
One entry per person.
Entry is FREE.
Artworks must be the original work of the artist, completed in the year between 1 June 2024 and 30 June 2025.
Artworks must be for sale.
All submission must be completed online and in full.
Artwork medium
Two dimensional or three dimensional artworks: paintings, mixed media, photography, drawing, sculpture.
Artworks created with AI and/or digital tools must include a declaration stating that fact.
Entry fee
No entry fee
Submission of entries
Entries opened at midday on Tuesday 15 April 2025 at 10am and closed at midnight on Monday 30 June 2025.
Submissions must be made online via the Luminance Gallery website: www.luminancegallery.com.au
You will receive a confirmation email if your entry was submitted successfully.
Late entries will not be accepted.
Exhibition selection process
Luminance Art Gallery Director, Dr Dominic O’Grady, is the curator of this exhibition.
Up to 16 of the best artworks submitted will be shortlisted for the Young Artist Prize and exhibited at Luminance Art Gallery from 22 July 2025 until 21 August 2025.
Two professional artists will select the prize winner from the shortlisted works.
The decisions of the judging panel are final. No correspondence will be entered into.
Art Prize winners will be announced on Saturday 2 August 2025.
Size of artwork
Size limits are based on the overall size of the artwork when it is framed. Stretched canvasses are considered framed. Artworks in multiple parts are acceptable but must be considered as a single work. A work of multiple parts must not exceed overall size limits when displayed.
All artworks must not be heavier than 10kg including frame and must not exceed a hanging space of 1 metre high x 1 metre wide, including wall space between artworks in multiple parts.
Preparation of artwork
All artworks selected for display must be clearly labelled with the following information attached to the back of the work: artist’s given name, artist’s family name, date of work, title of work, and medium.
All artworks excluding non-wall-mounted sculptures must be ready to hang. Paintings must be mounted or framed. Stretched canvasses are considered framed.
Flat D rings must be securely attached on the back of the work, 5cm – 10cm from the top of the frame, depending on the size of the artwork. D rings should be a minimum size of 10mm.
Artworks with screw-eyes, hooks or nails will not be admissible. There is no direct wall mounting available.
Wet paintings will not be accepted.
Luminance Art Gallery reserves the right not to exhibit the work if the earlier images submitted are not an accurate representation of the actual work received.
Luminance Art Gallery reserves the right not to exhibit the work if it is not ready to hang.
If your artwork requires a power source, please contact Luminance Art Gallery before completing your submission to discuss available options.
Sale of artworks
Submitted artworks must be for sale.
Luminance Art Gallery will retain a 40% commission on sales as a contribution to costs associated with the exhibition.
Commission will be deducted from the selling price of any work sold. The sale price indicated on the entry form must remain fixed throughout the exhibition and should include the commission.
Artworks sold during the exhibition will not be released until the end of the exhibition and full payment has been received by Luminance Art Gallery. Payment to the artist for sales will be made in August 2025.
Delivery of entries
All finalists are required to deliver their works to Luminance Art Gallery on Thursday 17 July 2025 or Friday 18 July 20205 between 9.00am and 4.30pm. Any alternate time must be arranged prior to delivery.
Do not post artworks to Luminance Art Gallery. All artworks must be delivered in person or by a representative or courier during the times above.
Delivery expenses are the responsibility of the entrant/artist.
Collection of artworks after exhibition
Artworks chosen for display must be collected from Luminance Art Gallery after the close of the exhibition on the following dates:
Friday 15 August 2025 between 10.00am and 4.00pm, or Saturday 16 August 2025 between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
Luminance Art Gallery is under no obligation to keep or store artworks after 1 September 2025. Artists of any uncollected works will be charged a fee.
Care and responsibility
Insurance for works remains the responsibility of artists during transit and throughout the exhibition.
Luminance Art Gallery has Public Liability Insurance.
Copyright
All entrants warrant they are the copyright holder of the artwork submitted and they agree to indemnify Luminance Art Gallery and its representatives for any breach or infringement of copyright.
Luminance Art Gallery has the right to use artwork images, artist biographies, and any associated materials for print, broadcast and digital promotion for a period of two years from artwork submission. These will be used for the purpose of publicising the Luminance Young Artists Exhibition & Art Prize . All necessary acknowledgments of authorship will be duly made.
Privacy
Personal information collected will only be used for the purposes of the Luminance Mid North Coast Exhibition and Art Prize.
Contact
Luminance Art Gallery
2/26 Clarence Street Port Macquarie NSW 2444
ABN: 83 503 953 199
Dr Dominic O’Grady
M: 0491 764 745