The winner of the 2025 Hornsby Art Prize has been announced, with Sydney artist Silke Raetze taking home the top award for her painting Green Tea with Alex, a portrait of her friend and fellow artist.
Judges praised Raetze’s innovative use of materials, saying the work “embodies many elements of art making.” She described her process as layering various papers—packaging paper for the hair, cardboard for the cup, black card, and handmade papers—then stitching, painting, and sanding the surface repeatedly. “In this way I feel a dialogue with the work emerges,” Raetze said.
Her artwork was selected from 71 finalists, chosen from 415 entries submitted from across Australia. Artists competed in categories including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture for a total prize pool of $23,000, with the major prize valued at $10,000. This year’s judges were Tim Braham, Director of Gosford Regional Gallery, and artist Stephen Hall.
The Hornsby Art Prize, hosted by Hornsby Shire Council in partnership with the Hornsby Art Society, is a national competition celebrating outstanding Australian contemporary art. Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, with presentations by Councillor Janelle McIntosh.
Mayor Philip Ruddock congratulated all entrants and finalists, noting the Council’s commitment to supporting the arts and celebrating local and national talent.
Other 2025 Award Recipients Include:
• Local Artist Award: Roslyn Kean (Trapped Beneath the Surface – hand-printed woodblock on paper)
• Photography Award: Tamara Dean (Realms)
• Sculpture Award: Rachel Lucas (The Survivor)
• Drawing Award: Claire Tozer (Flow)
• Printmaking Award: Anne Starling (Home Comforts)
• Painting Award: Katherine Edney (I Want to Lie in the Clouds With You)
The main exhibition is on show at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre until 28th September 2025, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 4pm. Entry is free.
In addition, David Collins, winner of the 2024 Local Artist Award, will exhibit new work in Sightlines alongside Sally Stokes, from 17th October to 2nd November 2025, also at Wallarobba.
More details at: www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/artprize www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/sightlines-exhibition
