Art Prizes merging data with ArtBiogs Art Prizes Planner

Since 2020, our analysis of art prize finalist data has revealed important trends previously hidden within Australia's visual arts sector. While artists traditionally gain recognition through media coverage, gallery shows, auctions, or major prize wins, our comprehensive dataset illuminates new patterns in emerging talent through prize outcomes.

The art establishment's oversight of these trends is striking. When Lauren Starr won Australia's richest art prize ($150,000) in 2022, many curators and gallerists were unfamiliar with both the artist and the prize itself. Our blog posts repeatedly demonstrate how artists can become frequent prize finalists while remaining largely unknown to the industry's publishers. The publishers do work very closely with galleries but their emphasis is on individual artists' exhibitions in private and public galleries - that's where the advertsing revenue comes from.

This disconnect isn't due to indifference – until now, there hasn't been consumable and accessible data tracking art prize patterns. Despite reaching out to major art publications to share these insights, the response has been notably quiet. Yet the data clearly shows that art prizes serve as an important, if overlooked, indicator of trends and talent in Australian art.

For more information or interviews, check out this video or reach out to me via DM or email.

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Art Prizes merging data with ArtBiogs