Gold Coast artists triumph at The Doyles Art Award, sweeping top three honours

WORDS: Melinda Burton PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

The Gold Coast’s longest running fine art prize, The Doyles Art Award, has made a resounding impact once again, as three talented Gold Coast artists took out the top three accolades at the award ceremony Thursday 15 June.

With a lucrative $30,000 cash pool, this year’s award received a record-breaking number of artist submissions from across Australia for its three painting categories – Still Life, Portrait, and the coveted Landscape prize which has doubled with first place receiving a jaw-dropping $20,000.

The exhibition is open from 15 to 25 June, 10am to 5pm at Mudgeeraba Memorial Hall, 62 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba and offers the perfect opportunity to purchase original art from new and established artists.

Event Director Gillian Grove says The Doyles team are thrilled to announce this year’s prize winners who were judged by a three-person panel and selected from over hundreds of  adult entries and junior entries.

“The 2023 winner of the major Landscape prize was awarded to Scott McDougall for his artwork ‘Tenterfield Gold, in second place was Kasey Sealy for ‘Golden Valley Tumut’ for and third was Kylie Findlay for ‘Moves and Changes’,” says Ms Grove.

“For the Figurative category, first place was awarded to Megan Woodfine for ‘The Pressure’ and second place was Conor Knight for ‘Figure Looking Up’.

“First place in the Still Life category was awarded to Rachel Favelle for ‘The Uninvited’ and second place went to Natasha Ruschka for ‘Garden Party – Poppies and Pears’.

“Honourable commendations were awarded to Sophie Malkin and Paula Starrs (Landscape), Sadami Konchi (Figurative) and Janet Halliday (Still Life),” says Ms Grove.

“In the junior competition, first place for the primary category (ages 5 to 8) was awarded to Minseo Ghung with ‘My Ocean Buddies’, for Middle (ages 9 -13) was Nina Pischetsrieder with ‘Indirect Portrait’ and for Senior (ages 14-17) was Olivia Rowney with ‘Blue China’.

Named after famous Australian artist d’Arcy William Doyle, the prestigious award is the Gold Coast’s longest running painting prize and carries a prize pool of $30,000 across its three competition categories – Landscape, Figurative and Still Life.

Now in its nineteenth year, the awards feature a prominent judging panel consisting of Mayoress Ruth Tate, internationally acclaimed artist Richard Claremont and Gallery One Director Leanne Pearce.

The Doyles Art Award has attracted a number of high-calibre sponsors which have been instrumental in the increase in prize money including Bond University, Attwood Marshall Lawyers and SkyRidge Living.

For further details, visit www.thedoylesaward.com.au