Hornsby Art Prize 2025
Silke Raetze from Sydney, was selected as the winner of the 2025 Hornsby Art Prize with her painting Green Tea with Alex - a portrait of her friend and fellow artist Alex Seton. The judges commended Raetze on her contemporary use of materials and said, “it is a work that embodies many elements of art making”. Raetze’s artwork was selected as the winner from a pool of 71 finalists, drawn from an incredible 415 artworks submitted from Hornsby Shire and across Australia. Entries to the categories of painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and sculpture competed for a total prize pool valued at $23,000, with the major prize worth $10,000.
The Hornsby Shire Local Artist Award went to Roslyn Kean from Galston for her hand carved and hand printed woodblock print, Trapped Beneath the Surface. This year’s judging panel were Director of Gosford Regional Gallery, Tim Braham, and local artist Stephen Hall.
The finalists exhibition was held at the Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre 12 - 28 September 2025. The Hornsby Art Prize is organised and sponsored by Hornsby Shire Council and delivered in partnership with the Hornsby Art Society. The non-acquisitive prize celebrates outstanding Australian Contemporary Art and is open to Australian residents aged 18 years and over.
View the 2025 Winners
View the 2025 Finalists
Judges
Tim Braham
Tim Braham has been the Curator/Director of the Gosford Regional Gallery for 25 years, overseeing almost 500 exhibitions in that period. He has curated many significant exhibitions and worked with major artists from across Australia. He has also been the driving force behind the Gosford Art Prize over 25 years, and many other competitions.
Stephen Hall
Stephen Hall was born in Hornsby in 1962 and as an artist he has lived and worked in the Hornsby Shire, GuriNgai and Darug land, since 1980. He works and teaches art across several disciplines; mixed media, drawing, painting, printmaking, artists’ books, sculpture, art history and has had creative/art writings published. He holds an MFA from the University of NSW and has been awarded multiple art awards and residencies and has artwork included in many collections including the Art Gallery of NSW, Kedumba Contemporary Drawing Collection, Willoughby Council, North Sydney Council, Cumberland Council and Museo Iconografico Del Quijote, Mexico.
Hornsby Art Prize 2025 - Opening night