The Paul Guest Prize is a biennial award and exhibition highlighting contemporary drawing practice in Australia. The prize was initiated by former Family Court Judge and Olympic rower, The Honourable Paul Guest OAM QC and encourages artists from across Australia to engage with the important medium of drawing in contemporary art practice. The non-acquisitive prize with a cash award of $15,000 is this year judged by Lesley Harding, Artistic Director, Heide Museum of Modern Art. 

‘My abiding and passionate interest in art commenced several decades ago and from those early beginnings I was introduced to contemporary art in a holistic way which ran parallel to my professional career. I appreciate that the journey for artists is, at times, a demanding and tortuous one and I trust that in some small way I have and will continue to assist them to achieve their full potential,’ said the Honourable Paul M Guest, OAM QC.

In 2022 we are pleased to announce leading Australian artist Gareth Sansom as the judge. 

Previous winners include Richard Lewer, Laith McGregor; Peter Grziwotz; Heather B Swann; Tom Nicholson and Belinda Fox.

What is contemporary drawing? 

As administrators of the Prize, Paul Guest and Bendigo Art Gallery have not stipulated what constitutes a drawing in the terms and conditions and hope to see a range of approaches and interpretations of this medium in the prize. So what is contemporary drawing? BAG Curator Emma Busowsky explains below.