Meroogal Women’s Art Prize

Opening hours at Meroogal are 10am–4pm on Saturdays. The museum is accessible by guided tour only. Bookings are essential, entry is free.

There are a range of bookable sessions for artists to inspect the property on Thursdays from 12 March until 9 July. Bookings are essential.

There is level access from the street into the garden and ramp access to the ground floor of the house. The first floor can only be accessed by stairs. We are always happy to try and accommodate individual visitors with specific needs into our regular guided tours and bookable sessions for artists. Please call ahead to let us know about any particular requirements you have. Please call ahead to arrange your visit on +61 2 4421 8150.

Entries are to be submitted through our online form. You can submit up to three 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, artwork description and artist’s statement.

No, you can only enter one artwork in the prize.

No, your artwork must have been made for the Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2026.

No, only entries by individual artists are accepted.

Prospective entrants are strongly encouraged to visit Meroogal to inform their entry submission. 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 newly created artworks 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. 

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.

The statement should not include your biography or previous artistic output. 

Please refer to the terms and conditions of the prize. More information about ICIP is available from the Arts Law Centre of Australia.

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

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. A work 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. 

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 – that is, entrants whose work is selected for display – will be notified by Thursday 13 August 2026. All entrants will be formally notified of the selection of finalists either by email or letter after this date. 

Finalists will be required to deliver their artwork to Meroogal in Nowra or The Mint in Sydney. Artworks delivered to The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney will be transported by courier to Meroogal. Artists are responsible for safe packaging of their artwork for transit. Works deemed too fragile for transit or delivered with insufficient packaging will not be accepted.

Artworks delivered to The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney will be transported by courier to Meroogal. Museums of History NSW prefers artworks are delivered to Meroogal wherever possible.

Museums of History NSW staff will require finalists to confirm their delivery and drop-off location.

Address for delivery and collection of works:

Meroogal 
35 West Street
Nowra NSW 2541 

Or

The Mint
10 Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000

The Mint, Sydney: Monday 7 September or Tuesday 8 September 2026 between 9.30am and 4pm.

Meroogal: Thursday 10 September or Saturday 12 September 2026 between 10am and 3pm.

Meroogal: Thursday 29 April or Saturday 1 May 2027 between 10am and 3pm.

The Mint, Sydney: Monday 3 May or Tuesday 4 May 2027 between 9.30am and 4pm.

Works not collected by the specified dates will be disposed of at Museums of History NSW’s discretion. Museums of History NSW will email or phone artists prior to disposal, with a minimum of seven days’ notice.