Terms and Conditions

The R & M McGivern Prize was established by the will of the late Muriel Evelyn McGivern.

In accordance with the will, it is awarded by the Trustee every three years, for the oil or watercolour (including gouache) painting which is most worthy of inclusion in the Maroondah City Council Art Collection.

In 2025/26 two Prizes of $25,000 will be awarded to two artists, the R & M McGivern Prize 2025 and the R & M McGivern Prize for 2022 (which was not awarded owing to a review of the Trust undertaken by the Trustee).

1. About the R & M McGivern Prize

   The R & M McGivern Prize is awarded by Perpetual Trustee Company Limited ABN 42 000 001007 as Trustee of The R & M McGivern Croydon Arts Trust. The Trustee is guided in making the Prizes by the decision of a majority of judges as appointed by the Trustee. The Prizes are directed to be awarded to the artists who are judged to be most outstanding.

2. Eligibility

   Each applicant must fulfil the following conditions and requirements:

   1. The Prize is open to all artists living in Australia.

   2. An applicant’s painting must:

      1. Be an original work and must not infringe copyright;

      2. Have been completed since 1 January 2025;

      3. Comprised predominantly of mediums of oil or watercolour (including gouache), meaning produced for the most part with these materials;

   3. If any doubt should arise as to the eligibility of any entry under points 1 or 2, the Trustee may seek the guidance and advice of the Judges and/or Curatorial Program Lead, Maroondah City Council. Any decision on eligibility approved by the Trustee shall be final and binding.

   4. The maximum size of paintings that will be accepted is 160cm high by 160cm wide.

   5. Entries must be available for acquisition by Maroondah City Council in exchange for the Prize amount of $25,000

3. Application Requirements

   Each applicant must complete the following requirements in order to be eligible for this award. Physical paintings are not required for the initial judging. The initial selection is to be completed from digital images submitted via the online application form. Only works selected for the exhibition will need to be delivered.

   1. The applicant must submit an online application form; confirm their acceptance of the Terms and Conditions; and provide the entry fee payment via the online system. The application process closes at 11.59PM AEST on Monday 6 July 2026 - EXTENDED.

   2. The applicant must submit one image of their artwork. The artwork image should be a JPG or JPEG, minimum 1600 pixels wide, maximum 4MB file size.

   3. The applicant must also submit an artistic statement (approximately 200 words in total) and a copy of their one page (A4) CV / biography. The documents should be in either .doc or .pdf format.

   4. The applicant must pay an entry fee of $30.00 for each entry via the online payment portal. Entries are not valid without a paid entry fee. There are no refunds. CASH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

   5. There is no limit to the number of entries an artist may submit, but each entry must have a separate application and online entry fee payment.

   6. Receipt of payment will be issued within the online system.

   7. Late applications will not be accepted.

   8. Dates listed under ‘Key Dates’ must be strictly adhered to by the applicant. There are no exceptions to this rule.

   9. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified via email.

4. Exhibition

   1. Only selected paintings chosen by the pre-selection panel will be shown in the exhibition. All applicants who have been pre-selected will be contacted by email to inform them of the selection and the next steps including transportation of work, location and timing information. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified.

   2. The Trustee reserves the right to publicly exhibit a selection of entries, including the winning entries, for a period following the announcement of the Prize.

   3. Finalists will be exhibited across two venues: ArtSpace at Realm, 179 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood and Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery, 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood, Victoria.

   4. Delivery of all selected works must be sent to: Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery, 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

   5. No works will be accepted wet whatsoever.

   6. All works must arrive professionally mounted, with D-rings fitted and ready to hang.

   7. The Council and Trustee will not be responsible for loss of or damage to any entry while in transit to the exhibition venue from the applicant. Each applicant is responsible for maintaining their own insurance cover arrangements with their carrier where relevant

   8. The Applicant must provide a valuation of the work to The Council prior to delivery.

   9. The Council will provide insurance for the works from the date of arrival at Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery until collection by the artist or the artist’s courier at the conclusion of the Prize. The Trustee will not be responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever or howsoever caused to any entry in their possession and custody.

   10. The Council reserves the right to not display any entry to the Prize.

5. Judges and Judging Process

   1. The Prizes shall be awarded to the entries which, on the recommendation of the majority of judges, are considered to be the most worthy of inclusion in the Maroondah City Council Art Collection.

   2. If the majority of judges consider that there are no entries of sufficiently high merit to warrant the award, no Prizes or one Prize may be awarded.

   3. The majority decision of the judges, and of the Trustee on the interpretation of all award rules and conditions, shall be final and legally binding, and no correspondence will be entered into with regard to the judges’ decision.

   4. If at any time after the Prize has been awarded to any entry, a majority of judges determine that the entry did not comply with the conditions of entry or eligibility, the Prize may be withdrawn from that entry and the artist must immediately repay the Prize money to the Trustee. In the event that a Prize is withdrawn from an entry pursuant to this condition, the other entries which were submitted in the same year may be reconsidered for the Prize; otherwise no Prizes will be conferred in respect of that year.

   5. Whilst it is expected that these conditions will be strictly observed, the Trustee reserves the right to waive compliance with or alter any conditions.

   6. The Prize money is $25,000 each for the winners of the acquisitive R & M McGivern Prize 2022 and the acquisitive R & M McGivern Prize 2025, no further funds will be distributed. The Prize recipients should obtain their own professional advice in respect of any taxation implications.

   7. A People's Choice Prize of $1,000 awarded by Maroondah City Council will be announced in the final week of the exhibition. It will be awarded to the work voted the most outstanding by popular choice.

6. Publicity and Promotion

   By entering this Prize, you the artist grant the Trustee and its agents, a licence to reproduce any material or entry/ies by electronic or print or broadcast media leading up to, or for the duration of the exhibition, and thereafter, to further advertise and in other ways publicise the R & M McGivern Prize, and any other arts scholarships/awards in its portfolio.