The Victorian Trades Hall Council is inviting artists from across Australia to enter the Trades Hall Art Prize 2026, a national exhibition exploring the legacy of one of the world’s oldest continuously operating trade union buildings.
This year’s theme, A Living Monument, encourages artists to respond to Victorian Trades Hall as a place of organising, resistance, solidarity, creativity and social change. Artists are invited to interpret the building, its architecture, its history, or the broader ideas of labour, community, activism and collective power.
Selected works will be exhibited during the Melbourne Fringe Festival at Paddy’s Gallery within Trades Hall.
- $5,000 Winner’s Prize (Acquisitive)
- Winning artwork acquired into the Victorian Trades Hall collection.
- $750 Artist Fee paid to each exhibiting finalist to support production and loan of their artwork.
All visual art mediums are welcome, including:
- Painting
- Drawing
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Photography
- Installation
- Mixed media
- Digital and experimental practices
Artists are encouraged to explore ideas including:
- Trades Hall as an historic and contemporary landmark
- Workers and union movements
- Protest, activism and social justice
- Labour, solidarity and community
- Architecture and cultural heritage
- Contemporary interpretations of collective action
- Applications Close: 1 September 2026
- Artists Notified: 4 September 2026
- Artwork Delivery: By 25 September 2026
- Exhibition Opens: 1 October 2026
- Exhibition Dates: 1 October – 27 November 2026
- Artwork Collection: 30 November – 11 December 2026
