Hearten Art Prize

In line with Geelong Gallery’s long history of prize exhibitions, the Hearten Art Prize celebrates the creative voices of emerging artists in the Geelong region aged between 18 and 30, showcasing their diverse practices and thematic interests.

The prize has been created by the 2025 GG Connected Youth Digital Trainees—a team of two young people working to connect their peers to Geelong Gallery through digital engagement. The GG Connected project invites local youth to interpret the Geelong Gallery collection and exhibitions program through their own lens, and to share what the Gallery means to their generation.

This year, the Trainees invited young creatives to respond to the theme inspiration through artworks submitted to the Hearten Art Prize. They posed the question: Who or what inspires you, and how has that shaped your practice?

The Hearten Art Prize presents an impressive selection of works across a variety of media, including painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, and textiles. The artists draw inspiration from diverse sources such as literature, art history, the natural world, and their own personal experiences and identities.

The shortlisted works were selected based on each artist’s conceptual development, technical application, aesthetic considerations, and engagement with the theme. The exhibition includes work by Bambie Barry; Beany; Danielle Cook; Your Pal Gerommey; Billy Mutt; Sarah Porter; Queerly; and Ilaria Yakimov.

The Hearten Art Prize is supported by the Victorian Government

Location: Geelong Library, Ground Floor, 51 Little Malop St