A new $25,000 national acquisitive art prize has launched in the Hunter region with leading artists from across Australian expected to submit works.

The Lake Art Prize, unveiled by the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, is a biennial competition open to artists aged 18 years and over.

The theme for the inaugural prize is Where there is water’, acknowledging MAC’s stunning lakeside location at Booragul and the venue’s popular 2012 exhibition of the same name.

Museum of Art and Culture Director, Debbie Abraham, said judges would be looking for works that reflected that theme, either directly or in more conceptual ways.

“With MAC situated on the lake foreshore, it’s perhaps not surprising that water is an ongoing theme in our exhibition programming and collection development,” Debbie said.

“In working with the theme, we want artists to not only embrace notions of location, but to explore water as a metaphor or narrative.”

Artists working across all mediums, including sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, installation, and sound, are eligible for the prize.

“This is a fantastic way to not only encourage and celebrate art, but to grow our City’s Cultural Collection,” she said.

There is a total acquisitive prize pool of $25,000, with the winning artist to have their work purchased by Lake Macquarie City Council.

Works on display will also be for sale to the public, with a $2,000 People’s Choice Award for the most popular artist up for grabs.

The inaugural Prize Exhibition will take place between 12 December 2020 – 7 February 2021, with the winner to be announced on 12 December.

Artworks entered in the competition must have been completed in the twelve months from 23 October 2019 to the entry closing date on Friday 23 October this year.

IMAGE | MAC Director, Debbie Abraham, outside the gallery.