Parkes Artist Wins 2025 Aboriginal Art Prize

A painting about domestic violence and a painting about families and western NSW have jointly won the 2025 CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes Aboriginal Art Compe­tition. The works of artists Maddison Hull of Parkes and Beverley Moore of Bourke equally impressed the judges, and both entrants have been awarded a $2,000 first prize.

The competition was judged during NAI­DOC Week by Bishop Columba MacbethGreen, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes chief executive officer Anne-Marie Mioche and CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes direc­tor cultural engagement Jane Kemp.

Ms Mioche said the two winning artworks were powerful creative works.

In the artwork More Than Meets The Eye, Maddison Hull’s subject is domestic violence. “The intricate work features an eye, a red handprint and a tree,” Ms Mi­oche said.

“Writing about her artwork, Ms Hull says the handprint is either lives lost to domestic violence, or to show someone putting up their hand to no longer silence the violence, while the tree is to show the old connection to food, shelter and markers for stories, which survivors rely on to escape safely.

“Ms Hull says when looking at people, we never really know what’s going on until someone either speaks up or it’s too late, and the artwork’s eye shape is to give us an insight into a story we may not see or understand.”

The judges also awarded second prize to two paintings – Corroboree by Sheldon Smith of Bourke, and Connecting to Coun­try, also by Maddison Hull, and they will each receive a $1,500 second prize. Third prize of $500 was won by Mark Curry of Wilcannia with Frog Ponds.

Running for its fourth time, the Catholic­Care Wilcannia-Forbes Aboriginal Art Com­petition attracted 14 entries from across western NSW in 2025.

The social support organisation estab­lished the competition in 2019 to generate opportunities and recognition for emerging Aboriginal artists and encourage more en­tries in 2026