The best street art experiences in the nation have been revealed with the announcement of finalists in the Australian Street Art Awards.
Awards Director Liz Rivers said communities that promote their street and outdoor art understand that it is a unique landmark – an attraction that visitors can see in only one place – and that makes their destination immediately identifiable, highly attractive and a drawcard for art-loving tourists.
“Being shortlisted in these Awards further cements the reputation of these destinations as aspirational places to visit for everyone who loves to discover visually stunning experiences,” Ms Rivers said.
With rigorous judging by tourism leaders, plus second-tier auditing and due diligence, being named as a finalist has the credence of the tourism sector.
Founded in 2018, the Awards’ charter is to “provide Australian communities, including those in remote and regional areas, with a means to be recognised for outdoor art that is being promoted to make their destination and our collective country a more attractive place to visit and explore”.
This Awards program was the industry’s first and is the largest to recognise excellence and innovation in art tourism.
The finalists in the Australian Street Art Awards covering 2022, in alphabetical order, are:
• ‘A Place to Gather’ (Yeppoon QLD) by Brandon Butler
• Art Roll Gold Coast (Gold Coast QLD) by various artists
• Austin Lane (Darwin NT) by various artists
• Banna Lane (Griffith NSW) by various artists
• Banna Lane Festival (Griffith NSW)
• Bendigo Street Art Walking Tour (Bendigo VIC) by various artists
• Bidencopes Lane (Hobart TAS) by various artists
• Big Rivers Portrait Series (Katherine NT) by Jesse Bell
• ‘The Last Lion’ (Burwood Chinatown NSW) by Sophi Odling and Christina Huynh
• Bute Silo Art (Bute SA) by Scott Nagy and Krimsone
• ‘Constellation Stories in Light’ (Five locations SA) by Illuminart
• ‘Darwin Didgeridoo’ (Darwin Airport) by Anthony Duwan Lee
• ‘Digging up the Past’ (Hughenden QLD) by The Zookeeper and DRAPL
• ‘Dyipni–Da King of Da Road’ (The Horsepower Highway WA) by various artists
• Enfield Murals Project (Enfield NSW) by various artists
• Frankston Street Art Walking Tours (Frankston VIC)
• ‘From Swamp to Sea’ (Watermans Bay WA) by Brenton See
• Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail (Greater Port Macquarie NSW) by various artists
• Katherine Arts Trail (Katherine NT) by Jesse Bell
• ‘Let’s Get Crabby, in a Big Way (Lammermoor Beach QLD) by Brendon Tohill
• Little Finds (Kalgoorlie-Boulder WA) by various artists
• Main Street Art Walk (Osborne Park WA) by various artists
• ‘Malls Refresh’ Laneway Murals (Perth CBD WA) by various artists
• Miles Streetscape Revitalisation (Miles QLD) by various artists
• ‘Neighbour’ (Katherine NT) by Jesse Bell
• No More Blank Walls Street Art Festival (Mount Lawley WA)
• ‘Nonna’s Table’ (Griffith NSW) by Claire Foxton
• Oh Hey WA NMBW Street Art Tour (Mount Lawley WA)
• ‘Painting Our Future’ (Mornington Peninsula VIC) by Julian Clavijo and Camilo Delgado
• Pave the Way to Gular Festival (Gulargambone NSW)
• ‘Preserve and Conserve’ (West Busselton WA) by Andrew Frazer Designs
• Quorn Silo Light Show (Quorn SA) by Illuminart
• 2022 ROBG Sculptures Out Back Exhibition (Roma QLD)
• ‘Sanctum’ (Darwin NT) by Andrew Bourke and Jesse Bell
• Southern Aurora Memorial Violet Town (Violet Town VIC) by Tim Bowtell, Lachlan Cumming and Chris Mann
• ‘Spirit of St. Peters’ (St. Peters NSW) by Alex Lehours
• ‘Stay Grounded’ (Darwin NT) by Kitt Bennett
• SWELL Sculpture Festival 2022 (Currumbin Beach QLD)
• ‘The Big Koala, Spirit of All Koalas’ (Greater Port Macquarie NSW) by Pauline Roods and John Belfield
• ‘The Golden Clydesdale’ (Coobowie WA) by Dylan Butler
• The Maryborough Mural Project (Maryborough QLD) by various artists
• The Outhouse Arthouse Tour (Livingstone Shire QLD) by various artists
• Tongala Street Art Trail (Tongala VIC) by various volunteer artists
• Vonda Youngman Community Centre Mural (Tamborine Mountain QLD) by Ben Werner and Yannick Blattner
• Wandoan Soldier Settlers Precinct (Wandoan QLD) by various artists
The Australian Street Art Awards winners will be announced during an online celebration on Friday 10 February.