The City of Sydney is encouraging local artists and illustrators to explore what contemporary Australia means to them in this year’s ‘Multicultural Art Competition – capturing Australia’s Identity’ now open for entries.

The competition, now in its second year, is a City initiative showcasing artworks that acknowledge and promote Sydney’s diverse cultural background. This competition asks local emerging and established artists to draw inspiration from our cultural diversity by exploring their own ideas and experiences of what it means to be Australian.

The finalists will be announced at the exhibition launch at Customs House on 17th October 2009, with more than $4000 in cash prizes up for grabs, including $2000 for first prize. The artworks will be exhibited at Customs House Library from 17th to 30th October 2009 and at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, a unique arts centre in the heart of Sydney, from 4th 22nd November 2009.

The judges will be looking for artworks that explore the diversity of Australian identity in an original way, are stylistically strong and adaptable to various formats.

Entries close at 5pm on Monday 24th August 2009.

For more details about the competition, including artwork specifications, judging criteria and submission forms, please visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/grants or call .

City of Sydney is giving artists a chance to see their work exhibited on the city streets with the fourth annual Sydney City of Villages Poster Art Competition now open for entries. Ten finalists will be selected to have their artworks displayed throughout the City of Sydney on JCDecaux street furniture sites for four weeks in July and August.

The work judged most outstanding will also receive prize money of $3,000. The finalists will also be exhibited at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, a unique arts centre in the heart of Sydney, from 14 July – 3 August 2009.

The Sydney, City of Villages competition began in 2006 and attracts a diverse range of paintings, drawings and prints from artists all around Australia. Artists may portray any aspect of “village” life in the City of Sydney. Last year, finalist entries were as diverse as a Balmain streetscape at sunset, a Redfern fruit stall on a rainy day and a panorama of the Anzac and Harbour Bridges from Annandale’s Federal Park.

Entries close at 5pm on Wednesday 10 June 2009.

For more details about the competition, including the curatorial brief and submission form, please visit www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/grants or call .

Children are invited to get arty for World Environment Day and enter the City of Sydney’s third annual Children’s Fine Art and Digital Art Competition and Exhibition.

This year’s theme – ‘Green Transformers – Your Planet Needs You!’ – asks children aged 5 – 12 to explore the idea of people as ‘Green Transformers’, saving the world through environmentally sustainable solutions including energy, water, waste and biodiversity.

“The World Environment Day competition gives young people a chance to express their unique view of what we can do to create a more environmentally aware City,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP.

This year’s competition has been expanded to include both fine art and digital art. Fine art entries can include paintings, charcoals, pastels, watercolours or collages. The new digital media category includes digitally composited or manipulated images, short animations and films.

The competition is open to entries from both individuals and primary school groups and offers a range of great prizes.

The individual category has three age groups: 5 – 7, 8 – 10 and 11 – 12 years. Each age group winner will have the choice of either a collection of fine art materials or an art course at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre.

The primary school category invites schools in the City of Sydney Local Government Area to create a group artwork. The winning school will receive six portable planter box systems plus teaching resources to help students learn about growing food. The school will also win a compost bin, worm farm, compost turner and training workshops.

Runners up will receive an environmental show bag and certificate of achievement.

Entries close at 5pm on 15 May 2009. Winners will be announced at the exhibition launch at CarriageWorks on World Environment Day, Friday 5 June.

The exhibition is free and will run from Saturday 6 June until Saturday 13 June at CarriageWorks (245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh). Opening hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, and Saturday 9am – 1pm.

For more information including judging criteria and entry forms, please visit: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/pinestreet/ and follow the links.