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Wildlife Art Museum of Australia has launched an online Works on Paper exhibition featuring work of finalists from the inaugural WAMA Art Prize.

The exhibition features 40 works by a range of artists from across the nation engaged in the theme of art and nature.

Among the artists is Tasmanian Melissa Smith, who won the major acquisitive prize of $15,000 for her work ‘Listen Deeply – Lake Sorell’.

Judges presented awards of excellence to Diane Fogwell for her work ‘The Dead Tree Scroll – Silent Extinction’; Janet Matthews, ‘Just flying through’ – red-tailed black cockatoos; and Juanita McLauchlan, ‘Found’.

WAMA Foundation patron Glenda Lewin said she was ‘thrilled’ with the chosen artworks.

“The judges did a remarkable job of selecting some wonderful artworks that I believe the public are really going to enjoy,” she said.

“The exhibition of finalists clearly demonstrates the quality and diversity of work entered was simply outstanding and this is a fantastic result given this is the first year of the prize.”

The prize attracted more than 500 entries from across Australia.

Ms Lewin said the judging panel comprising Anne Virgo, Robert Nelson, Suzanne Davies and Jacky Healy had the ‘extremely challenging’ task of selecting only 40 finalists out of a remarkable body of work. 

Exhibition viewers will be able to vote for their favourite artwork.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive $2500. Voting is open until October 22, with the winner announced on October 25, 2021.

People can view the WAMA Art Prize, Works on Paper exhibition online at www.wama.net.au.

Located adjacent to the national heritage-listed Grampians, Gariwerd, WAMA will be a wildlife and art precinct designed to inspire, educate and stimulate connection with nature. WAMA will boast a dedicated nature-inspired art gallery, set within botanic gardens and wetlands, that will nurture and protect rare species of plants and animals.

It will be a ‘unique tourist destination’ celebrating the relationship between art, science and nature.