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2025 QRAA – Winners Announced

The Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA), established in 2011, celebrate the creativity of artists living across regional Queensland. As Australia’s largest regional art awards program, the QRAA showcases outstanding new work while offering valuable opportunities, including cash prizes, professional development, solo exhibitions, and artist residencies.

The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award is a category within the QRAA, named in honour of founder Mervyn Moriarty OAM. The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Touring Exhibition was inaugurated in 2021 as a separate touring exhibition of selected entries.

Touring Schedule:

  • QRAA & Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibitions – Court House Gallery, Cairns – 3 February-2 May
  • Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition – Gallery 31, Central Queensland University, Mackay – 9 June – 1 July
  • QRAA Touring Exhibition – St George Cultural Centre, St George – 12 June-12 July
  • Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition – Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach – 15 July-23 August
  • Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition – 31 August-11 September
  • QRAA Touring Exhibition – The Drill Hall Studio, Townsville – 12 September-11 October
  • Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition – Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton – 26 September-20 November
  • QRAA Touring Exhibition – 1 William Street, Brisbane – 2-20 November

The theme for the 2025 QRAA is momentum. Continuous forward movement requires great balance. In keeping up with a fast-paced society, art provides a space of reflection and innovation. Critique and reflection through art and culture is what maintains the forward movement of our society. Each well resolved artwork is propelled forward by iteration on the last and builds on history and legacy in the arts.

The QRAA is open to artists from across Queensland living outside the Brisbane City Council boundary. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to share in Australia’s largest regional art awards prize pool. Entries for 2026 open on Monday August 10.

Artworks in the touring exhibitions of the 2025 Queensland Regional Art Awards:

Momentum (Winners, highly commended, and selected finalists):

The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award

  • Alison McDonald, For Annie Slade (Winner, Art for Life Award)
  • Jonathan Westacott, Banyena (Winner, Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award)
  • Linda Kypriadakis, Waituhi (glowing waters)
  • Steven Lippis, Made of Stars, Lost in Light

Emerging Artists Award

  • Baylee Griffin, Outgrowing (Winner, Emerging Artist Award)
  • Christopher Bentley, End of Support
  • Atelier Amen, Ponder
  • Jaelene Durrand, What Remains

Environmental Art Award

  • Christina Lowry, Ex Libris (Winner, Environmental Award)
  • Doug Mcneill, Backyard Bliss
  • Gabrielle Jones, Mandala for the Momentous Age
  • Jasna Spiranovic, Blue Momentum

First Nations Award

  • Charmaine Davis, Clarence River – Stories of home III (Winner, First Nations Award)
  • Bernard Singleton & Simone Arnol, Breathe
  • Joshua Bonson, SKIN – Momentum of Life
  • Marisa Ballinger, Carry our Light

Remote Artists Award

  • moo (Sam Matthews), Remembering to Breathe (Winner)
  • Cindy Grimes, Over the Grid
  • Jim Filmer, Bush Tucker – Food for Thought
  • Luke Aleksandrow, Letting Go

Textile Award

  • Sharon McKenzie, Gathered Momentum (Winner)
  • Danish Quapoor, tumour target II (grandstanding)
  • Hannah Parker, Abstract Landscape II
  • Lynette Griffiths & Marion Gaemers, Becoming

Watercolour Award

  • Rosie Lloyd-Giblett, Earth songs that touch the sky (Winner)
  • Charlene Attard, Through the Funnel
  • Claire Howden, As Sure As The Sun Rises
  • Fiona Harding, Perpetual Cascade

Young Artist Award

  • Kathryn Neilsen, Cabbage Tree Creek (Winner)
  • Bella Lampe, Arte’s Hashi
  • Lani Burville, Balancing Act
  • Sophie Clayton, Innocent Invader

The Merv (Selected works from the Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award category):

        • Adrienne Williams, Estuary Moment I
        1. Alison Mooney, Chaos flows and I ride it
        2. Alison Murphy, Force of Nature
        3. Ariella Anderson, Core Sample, Core Witness 5786
        4. Christopher O’Hare, Waterfall
        5. Donna Glass, Start Again
        6. Fiona Endermann, Frolic in the Foam, I don’t think so.
        7. Gail Meyer, Pulse and Release
        8. Ketakii Jewson Brown, Nature’s Magnitude
        9. Kim Herringe, Where Wings Gather
        10. Kym Tabulo, Gaining Momentum
        11. Leanne Emmitt, Antbed Architecture
        12. Philomena Yeatman, Listen to Country
        Art For Life Award Winner
        Alison McDonald – For Annie Slade
        Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award – Winner
        Jonathon Westacott – Banyena
        Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award – Highly Commended
        Linda Kypriadakis – Waituhi (glowing waters)
        First Nations Award – Winner
        Charmaine Davis – Clarence river – Stories of home III
        First Nations Award – Highly Commended
        Marisa Ballinger – Carry Our Light
        Remote Artist Award – Winner
        moo (Sam Matthews) – Remembering to Breathe
        Remote Artist Award – Highly Commended
        Cindy Grimes – Over the grid
        Emerging Artist Award – Winner
        Baylee Griffin – Outgrowing
        Emerging Artist Award – Highly Commended
        Jaelene Durrand – What Remains
        Young Artist Award – Winner
        Kathryn Neilsen – Cabbage Tree Creek
        Young Artist Award – Highly Commended
        Sophie Clayton – Innocent Invader
        Annie Tan Memorial Watercolour Award – Winner
        Rosie Lloyd-Giblett – Earth songs that touch the sky
        Annie Tan Memorial Watercolour Award – Highly Commended
        Charlene Attard – Through The Funnel
        Environmental Art Award – Winner
        Christina Lowry – Ex Libris
        Environmental Art Award – Highly Commended
        Doug Mcneill – Backyard Bliss
        Textile Art Award – Winner
        Sharon McKenzie – Gathered Momentum
        Textile Art Award – Highly Commended
        Hannah Parker – Abstract Landscape II
        People’s Choice – Young Artist Winner
        Duryab Khan – The Bone Bloom
        People’s Choice – Adult Winner
        Georgia Furniss – Wild Lyf

        Finalists:

        Christopher Bentley – End of Support – Emerging Artist Award
        Atelier Amen – Ponder – Emerging Artist Award

        Steven Lippis – Made of Stars, Lost in Light- Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award
        Gabrielle Jones – Mandala for the Momentous Age – Environmental Art Award
        Jasna Spiranovic – Blue Momentum – Environmental Art Award
        Bernard Singleton & Simone Arnol – Breathe – First Nations Award
        Joshua Bonson – SKIN – Momentum of Life – First Nations Award
        Jim Filmer – Bush Tucker – Food for Thought – Remote Artist Award
        Luke Aleksandrow – Letting Go (2025) – Remote Artist Award
        Danish Quapoor – tumour target II (grandstanding) – Textile Art Award
        Lynnette Griffiths & Marion Gaemers – Becoming – Textile Art Award
        Claire Howden – As Sure As The Sun Rises – Watercolour Award
        Fiona Harding – Perpetual Cascade – Watercolour Award
        Lani Burville – Balancing Act – Young Artist Award
        Bella Lampe – Arte’s Hashi – Young Artist Award

        Banner Image: Resource Removal. Rose Rigley and Pamela Kusabs. Paper, Mixed Media, Copper Wire. 2019.