ADELAIDE.- The curtain has closed on the 28th South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival with the winners of the 2025 SALA Awards revealed at The Lab (ILA) last night. The awards honoured both emerging and established practitioners, recognising their creativity and contribution to the state’s visual arts landscape. This year’s festival saw more than 11,000 artists participate across more than 700 exhibitions throughout Adelaide and regional South Australia, demonstrating the festival’s reach and enduring impact as the national’s most inclusive celebration of visual art.
SALA Festival Acting CEO Bridget Alfred said “The 2025 SALA Festival has been a spectacular celebration of South Australian Artists, Audiences and community. There has been high level of participation, and the quality and expanse of work has been a joy to see. The community activations and participation has been strong across the state and we have repeatedly seen the importance of art as a means of bringing people together to exchange, connect and celebrate.
We come to our final awards, always wishing we had more to give and grateful for the artists, venues and audiences and contributing partners that make this Festival such a success. Congratulations to all the award winners and to all the finalists, it was an incredibly strong field this year.
We are already making plans and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone again in 2026!”
This year’s SALA Awards brought together the full spectrum of the artistic community, celebrating their hard earned achievements:-
Cynthia Schwertsik won the City of Adelaide Award for her exhibition ‘Green Wash’. This award recognises an artist whose work explores and/or celebrates the experience of the City of Adelaide. Cynthia was awarded $5,000 and will participate in a public program with the City of Adelaide in 2026.
The Advertiser’s Contemporary Art Award is for the most outstanding work in any medium. Carolyn Corletto won a cash prize of $5,000 for her work ‘Seriously they are just boobs’.
Amanda Seacombe was awarded The City Rural Emerging Artist Award and a cash prize of $2,500 . This award is for artists in the early stages of their career, with under five years of professional experience.
Inspiring SA Science in Art Award is for artists whose work explores/engages with science, technology, engineering, maths or medicine (STEMM), or STEMM-related issues with a prize of $2,500. Peter Syndicas won the award for his work ‘Early Life Forms’.
The City of Unley Active Aging Award is for artists over the age of 60 to celebrate the City of Unley’s involvement with SALA and its commitment to promoting and supporting an active aging approach. This year’s award went to Sally Parnis for her work in the exhibition ‘Heart Place’. Sally won a cash prize of $2,000 and an exhibition space at Hughes Gallery in Unley for SALA in 2026.
The Don Dunstan Foundation Award is for artists whose work explores social justice themes which align with the objectives and priorities of the Don Dunstan Foundation including homelessness; climate justice, Aboriginal empowerment and reconciliation; democracy or Don Dunstan’s legacy. Dave Laslett won the award and cash prize of $2,000 for his exhibition ‘Land Works’.
Whittles Body Corporate Management Services Venue Award is for two venues, one regional and one metropolitan non-arts venue that exceed expectations in supporting artists exhibiting during SALA. The Old School Community Garden in Stirling won $2000 as the metropolitan non-arts venue and the regional winner was the Old General Store in Koolunga.
The Guildhouse Artist’s Choice Award is for artists of any medium, age, or skill level and this year’s recipient was Tom Buchanan. Tom won a 12 month Guildhouse Accredited Membership and a cash prize to the combined value of $1,500.
SALA In Lights Award aims to illuminate the work of a South Australian visual artist taking part in the 2025 SALA Festival. Tony Kearney won the award and will be the subject of an after-dark projection on a prominent wall in the CBD during the 2026 SALA Festival with the support of Novatech (valued at $10,000). Tony will so receive $2,500 prizemoney from Foodland and a further $2,500 loaded onto a Foodland in-store credit card and his work digitally displayed in Foodland stores across SA during SALA 2026.
SALA Festival has also announced Troy-Anthony Baylis as the featured artist for 2025 and the focus of the 2026 Australian Living Artists Publication, which will be penned by Sacha Grbich and Tikari Rigney.
Troy-Anthony Baylis is a painter, textile artist, installation artist and performance artist. A descendant of the Jawoyn people from the Northern Territory and of Irish ancestry, Baylis' multi-faceted artistic practice is founded in the process of ‘queering’ and unsettling ‘traditional’ ways of representing Aboriginality. Baylis has exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, having installed, exhibited and performed across New Zealand, the Philippines, Iceland, Spain, and Germany. His work has been subject of 24 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions, performances, and publications since 1993. Baylis' work was profiled in The National 2019: new Australian art at Carriageworks, Sydney. Recent institutional solo exhibitions include Nomenclatures (Art Gallery of South Australia, 2020-2021) and I Wanna Be Adorned (QUT Art Museum, 2023). Baylis has upcoming projects in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Wollongong, and has lived and worked in Adelaide for the past 25 years.
2024 SALA AWARDS – FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS AND FINALISTS
City of Adelaide Award
PRIZE: $5,000 and involvement in public program in 2026 SALA.
FINALISTS: Cynthia Schwerstik, Mia Fan, Karl Meyer and Gavin Wanganeen, Marlize de Klerk
Awarded to Cynthia Schwertsik
The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award
PRIZE: $5,000
FINALISTS: Ashley Bastian, Bundy Bannerman, Carolyn Corletto, Catherine Fitz-Gerald, Catherine Nguyen-Hoang, Eliana Della Flora, Emma Fält, Georgina Mills, John Dow, Josef Felber, Kirsten Johnston, Marlize de Klerk, Nadera Rasulova, Peter Fitton, Rebecca Whittemore, Sian Watson, Thom Buchanan
Awarded to Carolyn Corletto
City Rural Emerging Artists Award
PRIZE: $2,500
FINALISTS: Amanda Seacombe, Emilija Kasumovic, Mia Fan
Awarded to Amanda Seacombe
Inspiring SA Science in Art Award
PRIZE: $2,500
FINALISTS: Fran Callen, Karl Meyer and Gavin Wanganeen, Peter Syndicas
Awarded to Peter Syndicas
The City of Unley Active Ageing Award
PRIZE: $2,000 and an exhibition space in Hughes Gallery in Unley for SALA 2026.
FINALISTS: Josef Felber, Sally Parnis, Sue Michael
Awarded to Sally Parnis
The Don Dunstan Foundation Award
PRIZE: $2,000
FINALISTS – Bianca Buliga, Dave Laslett, Judith Klavins
Awarded to Dave Laslett
Guildhouse Artist’s Choice Award
PRIZE: $1,500 and a 12 month Guildhouse Accredited Membership
Awarded to Tom Buchanan
SALA In Lights Award
PRIZE: the winner is the subject of an after-dark projection on a prominent wall in the CBD during the 2026 SALA Festival with the support of Novatech (valued at $10,000), $2,500 prizemoney from Foodland, a further $2,000 loaded onto a Foodland in-store credit card and his work digitally displayed in Foodland stores across SA during SALA 2026.
Awarded to Tony Kearney
