Blake Prize

The Blake Prize

Each year, the judging panel for The Blake Prize includes an Art Historian, a practicing artist and a theological scholar.  Judges are appointed once so the panel changes each year. The judging process is mediated by the Blake Chairperson, an Observer (Blake Director) and the Blake Society General Manager.

The Blake Poetry Prize

The judging panel for the Blake Poetry Prize consists of up to three experienced, Australian poets.  The panel is jointly appointed by the Blake Society and NSW Writers’ Centre.  Judges are also appointed once.  The judging process in mediated by the NSW Writers’ Centre in consultation with the Blake Society.

Judges for the 5th Poetry Prize will be available in early April.

View past judges’ comments

Judges for The 61st Blake Prize

A/Prof Roland Boer - School of Humanities and Social Science, Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle

Roland Boer is a research professor at the University of Newcastle. Apart from voyages by container-ship and riding his bicycle as far and as often as he can, he writes. His research focuses on the intersections between religion, politics and culture, especially the traditions of theology and communism, and he has recently completed a five-volume work called The Criticism of Heaven and Earth (Brill-Haymarket, 2007-12).

Felicity Fenner - Acting Director, COFA Galleries, UNSW College of Fine Arts

Felicity Fenner has curated over 20 exhibitions since 1990, including Primavera 2005 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney, the 2008 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Australia's group exhibition at the 2009 Venice Biennale and Michael Nyman's Cine Opera at Sydney Park Brickworks in 2011.

She writes about contemporary art for a range of publications including Art in America, Art & Australia, Artlink and Art Asia Pacific, of which she is a Contributing Editor. Since 2007 she has been a member of the City of Sydney’s Public Art Advisory Panel and in 2010 was appointed Consultant to the Macquarie Group Collection.

Felicity is based at UNSW as Acting Director of the COFA Galleries, Chief Curator at the National Institute for Experimental Arts (NIEA) and Senior Lecturer in in the Master of Art Administration program.

Hossein Valamanesh - Artist

Hossein Valamanesh is a visual artist who works with different media from installation to sculpture, painting and collage. Inspired by personal experiences and memories he uses ordinary objects and natural materials to create visual poetry that reflects on his life in Australia and his earlier experiences of his birthplace, Iran.