Napier Waller Art Prize

The Napier Waller Art Prize was open to all current and former service personnel in the Australian Defence Force. The bi-annual prize encourages artistic excellence, promotes the transformative power of creativity, and raises awareness of the experiences and talent of service personnel.

The 29 finalists for the 2024 Napier Waller Art Prize are:
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Kat Rae

Michael Jones

Gary Ramage

Ronald Bradfield

Robert Shawcross

Marie-Louise Jones

Julian Thirkill

Mark Nodea, Richard Thomas, Owen Thomas & Peter Thomas

David Wiliam Crossley-Murr

Tony Ward

Jason O’Malley

Christopher Rigg

Jonathon Paul Telcher

Karl Metzger

Sean Halfpenny

Thom Crowhurst

Gregg Scott

John Davidson

Mark Davis

Nell Bradbury

Paul Cowled

Camille Jeffreys

Matt Kilby

Steven William Bostock (Bloor)

Nyulla Patricia Safi

Carson Smith

Robert Cooper

Phillip Brooks

Eduardo De Araujo

The winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize and their work accessioned into the Australian War Memorial collection.

Finalists’ works are displayed on the Australian War Memorial’s website for the general public to vote for the People’s Choice award, the winner of which will receive $5,000.

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Initiated in 2018, the Napier Waller Art Prize was named after Mervyn Napier Waller, an Australian artist who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915. In May 1917 he was wounded in the right arm while serving with the 11th Field Artillery Brigade during the fighting at Bullecourt. His arm was later amputated, and during his convalescence he learned to write and draw with his left hand, saying, “an artist draws with his head, not his hands”. In 1937 Waller was chosen to create the mosaics and stained glass windows in the Australian War Memorial’s Hall of Memory.

“The way she’s been received has been better than I could have ever dreamed ... She’s exactly what I needed her to be and what I wanted her to be.”

Anneke Jamieson, Winner, 2022 Napier Waller Art Prize