OFFICIAL OPENING/ PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT I SATURDAY 8th of NOVEMBER, 5pm till 8pm
SHOWING DATES I 8TH of NOVEMBER till the 19TH of NOVEMBER, 2025
The LEDA Art Prize, established in 2024, has quickly become one of the most respected contemporary art awards in Newcastle and the Hunter. This year’s prize is presented by Abicus.
With a prize pool of over $5000 the theme for 2025 is “REFLECTION”
/rɪˈflek.ʃən/
In the stillness of a surface, a shape appears—not fixed, but familiar.
A memory held without speaking, light folding thought into image.
Reflection is not only what is seen, but what returns when looking.
Past and present meet in the space between perception and recall.
With sincere thanks to our major sponsor Shout Brewing Co., and to our supporting sponsors Curious Spaces and Slingtown Espresso, whose partnership helps make this prize possible.
Many thanks to our selection panel and to this year’s judges Kar Mun Phoon, James Drinkwater and Justin Lees. Without their eyes, hearts and knowledge, this process would be impossible.
This year’s submissions were exceptional, reflecting a remarkable breadth of practice and conceptual depth. The judging panel faced an incredibly difficult task in narrowing down such a strong field. Congratulations to all artists who have been selected as finalists, your responses to this year’s framework, REFLECTION, have been thought-provoking and deeply resonant.
The 2025 LEDA Art Prize finalists
LOUIS ABELL I JOHN BARNES I SEAN BELL I TRACIE BERTRAM I MAX BLANCH I JULIE BRONDINO I SEAN CAROLL I EIRA CHIDGEY I RAPHE COOMBES I AILEEN CORBETT I CHRISTOPHE DOMERGUE I JONO EVERETT I LEITH HAMILTON I ILEIGH HELLIER I REE HODGES I ELISE HONEYMAN I FRANCES JOHNSTON I PETER LEWIS I WILL MAGUIRE I TONI MCLEOD I AARON MOORE I DAN NELSON I NICK OFFER I KRISTI PUPO I JAMES RHODES I CAM SUMMERS I KIMBERLY SWAN I PAMELA TANG I MARGUERITE TIERNEY I CAROLINE TRAILL I VANESSA TURTON I BIANCA VERN-BARNETT I OLIVER WHITEHOUSE I TAHLIA WILLIS I LEXIE WORBOYS
We look forward to celebrating with you at the exhibition opening and prize announcement on Saturday, 8 November, from 5–8pm at LEDA Gallery.
Image by John Barnes I The Angle of Reflection is Equal to the Angle of Incidence