Meroogal Women’s Art Prize

Entries are to be submitted online at mhnsw.is/meroogalartprize. You can submit up to five photographs of your work. If you are entering a digital soundscape or video, you can upload low-resolution files to the entry form. The selection panel will select works for the exhibition based on your photographs or files and artwork description.

You can enter up to two works. The works will be judged separately, so it is possible that both works could be chosen for the exhibition.

No, only works created by individual women artists can be submitted.

Opening hours at Meroogal are currently 10am–4pm on Saturdays. Prospective entrants can also access resources about the history of the property, the people who lived there and the collection here.

The selection panel will be looking for works created in the past 12 months that demonstrate a direct creative response to Meroogal as a place, and to its history and stories – both specific (relating to the house and its former residents) and broader (exploring themes evoked by the house and residents) – combined with artistic merit.

Finalists – that is, entrants whose works are selected for display – will be notified by Wednesday 16 October 2024. All entrants will be formally notified of the selection of finalists either by email or letter after this date.

If you are selected as a finalist, you are required to deliver the work to Meroogal on either Thursday 31 October or Saturday 2 November 2024 between 10am and 3pm. Museums of History NSW staff will liaise with finalists to confirm delivery drop-off details.

Yes. The selected works will be displayed in and around Meroogal, so if you have a location in mind, and/or a strategy for how it would work, make sure you include this information in your entry form. Works will only be displayed outdoors if requested by the artist.

Please note that installation and placement of artworks are at the discretion of Museums of History NSW staff and preferred placement of artworks cannot be guaranteed.

The artist’s statement is to be no longer than 80 words and must be submitted via the online entry form. The statement will be read by the judges during the selection process and must clearly outline how your work responds to Meroogal and communicates your ideas to the viewer. Should your artwork be selected for inclusion in the exhibition, the artist’s statement may be used for promotional and marketing purposes for up to two years from 9 November 2024.

Yes. During the exhibition period, a number of Meroogal collection items will be taken off display to make room for the finalists’ artworks.

Outdoor works are displayed at the artist’s own risk. Meroogal has regular security patrols, but Museums of History NSW cannot guarantee the safety of works displayed outdoors. The outdoor and garden spaces are well suited to very robust works or ephemeral works.

Anything that is not damaging to the property and is reversible at the end of the exhibition period would be acceptable. Please contact us with any queries about display methods.

Finalists will be required to collect their work on Thursday 29 May or Saturday 31 May 2025 between 10am and 3pm. Works not collected by the specified dates will be disposed of at MHNSW’s discretion. MHNSW will email or phone artists prior to disposal, with a minimum of seven days’ notice.