VAS Autumn Select Exhibition 2026
26 Mar 2026 – 12 Apr 2026
Exhibition Opening 28 March 7pm
Location: Frater, McCubbin & Hammond Galleries
The VAS Autumn Select Exhibition marks the first qualifying round for artists competing for the prestigious Hylton Mackley Artist of the Year Award.
The highly anticipated Select exhibitions showcase VAS member artists working across all mediums, with the strongest works selected to be exhibited throughout the upper galleries and eligible for peer votes toward December’s $20,000 major prize. Each of the three Select Exhibitions across the year also offers a $1,500 first prize.
There is no overarching theme for the Autumn Select—rather, the focus is on presenting the very best of what VAS artists have to offer. As the selection process becomes increasingly competitive, the Autumn Select promises to be a celebration of the diverse and dynamic talent within the VAS community.
Banner Image: Breakfast Contemplation, Raymond Wilson, Oil on canvas.
In 2026, the Autumn Select First Prize Winner was Jennifer Fyfe VAS for The Luthier, oil on linen.
The following artists received Highly Commended for their listed artwork:
Rachel Dettman Smith VAS, Half Light Still Life
Ted Dansey VAS FVAS, The Gelibrand
Gregory R Smith VAS FVAS, Studio Tales
Bruce Baldey VAS, Season's Turn
Ulrich Stalph VAS, Pambula River
Mary Hyde VAS, Long Shadows
D'Arcy Rouillard, Mending
Simon Hrvojevic received the Curators Award for Everything Matters, oil.
Acknowledgment of traditional owners.
We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our building stands, their leaders, past, present and emerging.