On Prizes

The Australian prizes open to collage, international open calls accepting collage, and how collage is recognised beyond competition.

Collage is eligible for many general and collage-specific art prizes. Listed here are some Australian awards that suit collage, international collage-specific open calls, and organisations that recognise collage outside of competition. Fees, deadlines and details change every year. Check current details through the links.

In Australia

There is no Australian prize dedicated to collage. Collage is instead entered into the broader works-on-paper, drawing, mixed-media and open art prizes. The following are open to artists across Australia.

National Works on Paper — Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Victoria. A biennial acquisitive award for work made on or with paper, which has included drawing, print and paper sculpture.
Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award — Sutherland Shire, New South Wales. For work made with, on or about paper, including mixed media. It drew more than a thousand entries from across Australia in 2025.
Sunshine Coast National Art Prize — Caloundra Regional Gallery, Queensland. Open to Australian residents working in any two-dimensional medium including assemblage.
Lethbridge Small-Scale Art Award — Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane. For two- and three-dimensional work up to 61 cm, open to Australian and international artists.
Cossack Art Award — Karratha, Western Australia. A long-running open award with a national Works on Paper category.
Fisher’s Ghost Art Award — Campbelltown Arts Centre, New South Wales. Its Open Award and Contemporary category accept any medium and are open nationally.
Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize — South Australian Museum. Any medium except photography, including works on paper. Work must relate to the natural world and the sciences associated with it.
Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Art Prize — Melbourne. Any medium up to 35 cm, including a Works on Paper Prize; open to artists in Australia and overseas. In 2026, entries run 6 October–16 November.

Print-based collage can also be entered into printmaking prizes such as the Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards (Victoria) and the Burnie Print Prize (Tasmania). Collage that reads as drawing may suit expanded-drawing prizes such as the Dobell Drawing Prize (National Art School) and the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing.

Collage-specific prizes and open calls

These accept collage and international entries. Dates are from 2025–2026.

National Collage Society (USA) — runs several calls a year.
tARTget International Painting Competition (Madrid, Spain) — a painting competition that explicitly welcomes collage. Finalists shown at the Ateneo de Madrid; entries usually close in late August.
Contemporary Collage Magazine Awards (UK) — Two categories each quarter (Portfolio, Representational, Series, Human Figure, Monochrome and more), each judged at Gold, Silver and Bronze. Open to analogue collage, mixed media (at least 70% collage), digital collage and assemblage; entry is by digital image from £15, with nothing to ship. Winners are published in the magazine.
World Collage Day (9 May 2026) — affiliated contests run internationally around the day, coordinated by the Kolaj Institute.

Recognition beyond prizes

Several organisations recognise work through curation, publication and residencies.

Kolaj Institute (New Orleans) — publishes Kolaj Magazine, runs residencies and workshops. Its PoetryXCollage strand works with found poems and collage.
Edinburgh Collage Collective — runs open calls for its printed zine; recent calls have drawn over a thousand entries, with around forty selected.
Sharp Hands Gallery — online gallery focusing on the art of collage from around the world.

This is a 2026 snapshot and a working list. Fees, deadlines and other details change, so follow the links to check the current details.