2023 WINNERS

BEST
OF THE BEST

Quirindi Silo Art & Light and Sound Show

QUIRINDI, LIVERPOOL PLAINS NSW

MORE INFORMATION BELOW

External Mural GOLD ADNATE Luther Cora_edited.jpg

Best External Mural

GOLD WINNER

Adnate x Luther Cora Mural, Miami QLD

Each July the Gold Coast comes alive as artists and creatives alike flock to participate in the SURFACE festival, a showcase of epic street art, gallery nights, outdoor exhibitions and live laneway music. This 4mural was painted during the 2022 SURFACE as a collaboration between renowned muralist Adnate and photographer, artist and Indigenous cultural performer Luther Cora.

SILVER: Jace and Kacia King, Darwin NT (ADNATE)

BRONZE: Centenary Lane Mural, Gawler SA (Kyle Armstrong aka Whale Tale)

Landmark Sculpture GOLD Big Koala_edited.jpg

Best Landmark Sculpture

GOLD WINNER

The Big Koala - Spirit of All Koalas, Greater Port Macquarie NSW

The biggest addition to the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail, The Big Koala, Spirit of All Koalas, is a two and a half metre high golden beauty. She was installed as a landmark piece in 2022 for the tourism precinct called ‘Guulabaa, Place of Koala’. Located between Greater Port Macquarie and the old timber town of Wauchope, the precinct will include a world first, a koala wild breeding centre. For now, the Hello Koala Sculpture Trail, along with artists Pauline Roods and John Belfield, have turned this big gold koala into a big gold award.

SILVER: The World at Goldtower Central, Charters Towers QLD

BRONZE: iDIDIT!, Sunshine Coast QLD

Best Street Art Trail

GOLD WINNER

Collie Mural Trail, Collie WA

The Collie Mural Trail weaves together history, community, and creativity to forge an unforgettable artistic marvel. This outdoor art gallery bridges Wellington Dam with Collie's heart. More than 35 esteemed Australian artists, including Collie locals, have painted a vibrant narrative that brings together past and present. Each mural unveils a unique story, making a visit educational and emotionally resonant.

SILVER: Maryborough Mural Project, Fraser Coast QLD

BRONZE: Katherine Art Trail, Katherine NT

Sculpture Park or Trail GOLD Giants_edited.jpg

Best Sculpture Park or Trail

GOLD WINNER

Thomas Dambo's Giants of Mandurah, Mandurah WA

The Giants of Mandurah is a major cultural tourism project initiated, produced and managed by non-profit organisation FORM. Since November 2022, this free-to-view, outdoor trail of huge wooden sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo has brought thousands of people to Western Australia's Peel region. Each Giant’s location helps highlight the region’s globally significant Ramsar-listed wetlands, unique waterways, bushland and wildlife, while the artistic narrative is interwoven with the Traditional Owners creation story.

SILVER: Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail, Port Macquarie NSW

BRONZE: Sculptures on the Marsh, Derby WA

Laneway GOLD Savages Macleay Valley Coast_edited.jpg

Best Street Art Laneway

GOLD WINNER

Savages Lane on the Macleay Valley Coast, Kempsey NSW

The murals that adorn Savages Lane in Kempsey have been created by 11 exceptional artists to celebrate the natural beauty and shared history of the Macleay Valley Coast, from the mountains to the sea. Take time to stroll down the lane, marvel at the vibrant colours and soulful depictions of the people, places and wildlife that form part of this wonderful New South Wales coastal region.

Best Mega Mural

GOLD WINNER
Quirindi Silo Art, and Light and Sound Show, Quirindi NSW

This free spectacular 'mural by day - show by night' attraction was designed by lead artist Peter Ryan and helped brought to life at night by Illuminart. It runs every night of the year.

SILVER: Reflections Mural at Wellington Dam, Collie WA (Guido van Helten)

BRONZE: Yarram Water Tower, Heesco Town - Yarram VIC (HEESCO

Best Entrance Art

GOLD WINNER

Hawker Entranceway, Hawker SA

This visually striking artwork, standing more than two metres high, embodies a powerful narrative of cultural preservation and community rejuvenation. Local Aboriginal artist engagement played a pivotal role in the project, which welcomes visitors to the Flinders Ranges town of Hawker. Crafted by Juanella McKenzie, it invites travellers to pause in town before exploring the path less travelled.

Best Monument or Memorial

GOLD WINNER

The World at Goldtower Central, Charters Towers QLD

It’s being touted as Australia’s next big thing. The World is an awe-inspiring reflective stainless-steel, globe monument accentuated with bronze countries and a single golden dot marking its home-town of Charters Towers in North Queensland. Standing seven metres high with a four-metre diameter, The World was presented to the Charters Towers community as a gift from Goldtower Central to celebrate 150 years since the declaration of what became Queensland’s wealthiest goldfields.

SILVER: 2022 Flood Memorial Murals, Grafton NSW

BRONZE: Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial, Maryborough QLD

Best Rural Art

GOLD WINNER

Wool Bay Water Tank Mural, Yorke Peninsula SA

This vibrantly colourful water tank mural in Wool Bay, on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, traces the history of the town from its First Nations owners through to European settlement – from the old port days through to the modern day. Painted in large by Sam Brooks, Harley Hall and Mark Harding, the mural features local flora, fauna and Wool Bay’s historic and iconic lime kiln, while also signalling women’s contribution to agriculture.

SILVER: Katherine Power Substation Murals, Katherine NT (Jesse Bell)

BRONZE: Exmouth Sundown Silo, Exmouth WA (Tiffany Clitheroe)

Best Street Art Festival or Event
HALL OF FAME (2021-22-23)

SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast QLD

The SWELL Sculpture Festival 2023 showcased dozens of large-scale contemporary sculptures set amongst the natural landscape of Currumbin Beach, on the Gold Coast. With consecutive wins, SWELL is being inducted into our HALL OF FAME.

SILVER: Frankston's Street Art Festival - Big Picture Fest, Frankston VIC

BRONZE: Darwin Street Art Festival, Darwin NT

Best Street Art Tour
HALL OF FAME (2021 - 22 -23)

Frankston Street Art Walking Tour, Frankston VIC

A canvas for some of the world’s best street artists, Frankston City is now an iconic art and culture destination in Victoria. Fuelled by the annual Big Picture Fest, the City is home to dozens of amazing murals. This epic tour has three consecutive times, and is now a HALL OF FAME inductee.

SILVER: Jimmy C Street Art Tour, Adelaide SA

Best Community Art

Kapunda Post Office Mural, Kapunda SA

For Kapunda, Australia’s first copper mining town, the post office has played a critical role in the town’s evolution. So it was fitting that the very first mural tackled by the Kapunda Mural Town Project Committee was one that honoured its post office. Volunteers logged more than 240 hours to create this piece, giving birth not just to a mural but also to a movement that has resulted in this South Australian heritage town being rebranded. A fitting start to Kapunda Mural Town.

SILVER: Living Breathing Gallery, Ipswich QLD

BRONZE: MilBi Magic: Archie’s Beach Community Mosaics, Bundaberg area QLD

Small Town Festival GOLD J&J Yarnbombed Trees_edited.jpg

Best Small Town Festival or Event

Jumpers & Jazz in July Yarnbombed Tree Exhibition, Warwick QLD

Jumpers and Jazz in July is a feel good festival that takes place in Warwick, on Queensland’s Southern Downs, in the middle of every winter. For the past 19 years the festival has woven its way into the hearts of locals and visitors while showcasing outstanding textile art and traditional craft balanced beautifully with top class live jazz. The absolute must do of the festival is view the yarnbombed trees that are created by artists from near and far. This past year there were 73 community and professional entries. What a great yarn!

SILVER: Spirit of the Land Lockhart Festival, Lockhart NSW

BRONZE: Mali Heart Street Art, Birchip VIC

Outstanding Contribution to
Australian Art Tourism Award

Margret Meagher

Founder, Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail

Since 2000 Margret has been a leader in the international field of arts, health and creative ageing, founding ‘Arts and Health Australia’. In 2010 she embarked on developing a public art project in Greater Port Macquarie. Four years later Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail launched with 50 one-metre-high fibreglass sculptures that had been hand-painted by artists. These days it encompasses 88 sculptures and is the region’s most popular tourism attraction. Margret continues to manage the Trail and organisation.

Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail