Image: Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Melbourne
The 71st Townsville Art Society Art Awards will open at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville on 19 September 2026, running through 18 October. The exhibition offers North Queensland artists affiliated with an Art Society an opportunity to show their work in a prominent gallery setting while competing for prizes.
A free launch on Friday 18 September will precede the exhibition’s opening. Held at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, the event begins at 6pm and welcomes artists, supporters and other visitors without bookings.
The Townsville Art Society Inc. announced the 71st edition of an exhibition with a long local history. Since its founding, the society has hosted an annual or biennial art exhibition, and the Art Awards have become a significant event in Townsville’s cultural scene.
One indication of the awards’ recent prize history is Lisa Ashcroft’s 2025 work ‘I always almost never really knew’, which received the non-acquisitive Works on Canvas / Board Prize. The canvas combines handstitched fabric, paint, gold leaf, glass, plastic and fibre.
On the exhibition’s opening day, judge Karina Devine will give a free Judge’s Talk at 10.30am. Devine will discuss the judging process, offer reflections on works in the exhibition and speak about what stood out to her this year. No booking is required. The exhibition is suitable for all ages, and the venue has disability parking and wheelchair access.
