The Jenny Birt Award
Celebrating 30 years of supporting student artists
For many years, Jenny Birt has been encouraging young artists to pursue and build careers as professional practicing artists. One of the ways she has supported young and emerging artists is through an annual award.
The Jenny Birt Award was initiated in 1995 by the ‘U Committee’ and is the longest running and most prestigious award for painting at the School of Art & Design. Candidates are nominated by academic staff and then selected for inclusion in the exhibition and consideration for the $4,000 prize.
Previous Award recipients
To date, 30 alumni have received the Jenny Birt Award. In many cases, it was the first major Award received by practicing artists like Marikit Santiago, Leila el Rayes, Lisa Sammut, Stephanie nova Milne and Vedika Rampal.
1996 - 2005
1996 Vicki White
1997 Stephanie Monteith
1998 Anthony Buselli and Lois Robertson (Joint award)
1999 Maria Kontis
2000 Fiona Greenhill
2001 Patricia Kirkham
2002 Nicola Brown
2003 Jaqueline Olivetti
2004 Stephanie nova Milne
2005 James Smythe
Image: 1996 Jenny Birt Award winner Vicki White with Jenny Birt. Photograph courtesy of UNSW Archives.
2006 - 2015
2006 Jeremy Bakker
2007 Kathy Yeh
2008 Sue-Elyn Millson
2009 Tom Ferson
2010 Bernice Ong
2011 Sarah Park
2012 Marikit Santiago
2013 Lisa Sammut
2014 Broc Webster
2015 Lucy Zaroyko
Image: 2011 Jenny Birt Award winner Sarah Park with Jenny Birt. Photograph courtesy of Sarah Park.
2016 - 2025
2016 Leila El Rayes
2017 Jae Thomas
2018 Harrison Witsey
2019 Alexander E.S. Ryrie
2020 Nyah Willis
2021 Astrid Elouise Bell
2022 Vedika Rampal
2023 Jacqueline Jacky
2024 Keroshin Govender
2025 Aarhon Silver
Image: 2018 Jenny Birt Award. Left to right: Professor Ross Harley, Bethany Smith (Highly commended), Nolan Murphy (Highly commended), Jenny Birt, Harrison Witsey (Award recipient), Carmen Glynn-Braun (Highly commended). Photograph: Jacquie Manning.
Online exhibitions
2025 Jenny Birt Award
Recipient: Aarhon Silver
Finalists: Aarhon Silver, Ava McClure, Claudia Karskens, Cleo Ding, Elijah Kinnavong, Grace Milross, Harrison Rae, Iris Aung, Jess Curran, Joanna Murray, Leilani Knight, Lok Yin Law, Lucy Parkinson, Mark Wilson, Mei Lin Meyers, Molly Webster, Rebecca Mansour, Skye Wallace, Tash Brobyn, Trinity Johnson.
Image: Aarhon Silver with the winning work 'Feeling anxious?... there that's better', 2025. Acrylic on canvas, print on canvas, sound buttons on canvas/board; Painting: 192 x 178cm; 2 wood panels: 120 x 90cm; Plinth: 20 x 20 x 100cm. Photograph: Anna Kucera.
2024 Jenny Birt Award
Recipient: Keroshin Govender
Finalists: Nell Bradshaw, Tash Brobyn, Jess Curran, Carolina de Almeida Guarino, Jordan Dempsey, Mercedes Dunn, Yolanda Dussek, Bridget Fung, Nath Gee, Helen Holder, Chetan Immidi, Trinity Johnson, Mei Lin Meyers, Narrelle Odeh, Lucy Parkinson, Lige Qiao, Skye Wallace, Junnie Wang, Mark Wilson.
Image: Keroshin Govender with the winning work 'Vatsala and Marimuthu', 2024. Hand dyed natural indigo fabric, screen-printing, hand and machine sewing, jute, linen, silk, acrylic paint. 130 x 94 cm. Photograph: Anna Kucera.
2023 Jenny Birt Award
Recipient: Jacqueline Jacky
Finalists: Aarushi Zarthoshtimanesh, Abby Murray, Anna Nolan, Annalise Jennings, Bianca Currey, Daisy WT Ng, Hattie Bidwell, Joel Coleman, Keroshin Govender, Lua Pellegrini, Lucinda Hackett, Lucy McLauchlan, Lucy Parkinson, Maite Feijo, Ming Sun, Monisha Kumar, Sophia Olivieri, Vedika Rampal.
Image: Jacqueline Jacky with their winning work ‘That Place They Had’, 2022. Screen-print, watercolour monotype, calico, string, keen’s curry, turmeric. Photograph: Anna Kucera.
2022 Jenny birt award
Recipient: Vedika Rampal
Finalists: Aarushi Zarthoshtimanesh, Alyssa Alzamora, Astrid Elouise Bell, Aurelia King, Bradley Mendels, Brittany Bishop, Cassia Glynn Bray, Conor Parsons, David Wilson, Evan Ye, Fiona Macpherson, Heshanthi Munasinha, Jasmine Cain, Jessica Thompson, Lige Qiao, Lua Pellegrini, Lucy McLauchlan, Matti, Maya Elizabeth Cole, Mei Lin Meyers, Patricia Potter, Rebecca Bosley, Tia Madden.
Image: Vedika Rampal with their winning work ‘Residues’, 2022. Acrylic on cotton muslin, metal, nylon, hessian, bale, jute, clay, wood. 2.2 x 2.2 x 3.8m. Photograph: Anna Kucera.
2021 jenny birt award
Recipient: Astrid Elouise Bell
Finalists: Alix Crowe, Anna Seymour, Calina MacGinley Jamieson, Claude Platzer, Dana Hubraq, Edwina Huang, Fiona Macpherson, Francesca Athas, Lileana Colarelli, Mahitha Ramanathan, Matti, Meredith Toyama, Nitasha Chaudhary, Patricia Potter, Remy Faint, Sabrina Santana, Sophie Waddington.
Image: Jenny Birt with the winning work by Astrid Elouise Bell, 'Saying the quiet part out loud', 2021. Installation, acrylic on plywood, candle. Photograph: Anna Kucera.
Header image: 2020 Jenny Birt Award winner Nyah Willis, 'Skin of Gum' (detail).
Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
