Category description

This award is for an outstanding artistic or cultural event or project that has had a significant positive impact on a community in South Australia.

A community may be defined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender or disability, or it could be an online community.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality and quality
• How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/ activity
• How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts and culture.

2023 Shortlist

• SALA Festival 2022, South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival Inc.
• Wild Dog, Jacob Boehme
• Adelaide 48 Hour Film Project 2022, Big Picture Club.

2023 Winner

Wild Dog, Jacob Boehme

The Wild Dog exhibition, conceived and artistically directed by Kaurna/Narungga artist Jacob Boehme, is an immersive installation and exhibition exploring the importance of one of Australia’s most misunderstood but significant cultural symbols – the dingo. The multi-year cultural maintenance and revival project saw Jacob and the Wild Dog Team from Insite Arts and Country Arts SA, work closely with several Aboriginal communities and people within South Australia. As the first artistic outcome of the project, Wild Dog connects the Dingo story from Kaurna and Narungga country in South Australia to Lardil Country in Mornington Island, including cultural links stretching to the Wild Dog story for the Bunun people from Taiwan. Featuring film, animation, puppetry, dance, song and immersive art works, along with a public program of panels and talks that further explored themes within the works, Wild Dog has had a significant impact on the communities it engaged with, assisting in the development of new skills, relationships and the emergence of new projects around cultural revitalisation.

Category description

This award is for an outstanding artistic or cultural event or project that has had a significant positive impact on a regional community in South Australia.

A community may be defined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender or disability, or it could be an online community.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality and quality
• How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/ activity
• How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts and culture.

2023 Shortlist

• SALT Festival 2023, Southern Eyre Arts Incorporated
• Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne with Switch Productions
• Fringe Mount Gambier, Fringe Berrin Incorporated.

2023 Winner

Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne with Switch Productions

Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) is a 25-minute docu-fiction film voiced completely in Yankunytjatjara, the language of artist and performer Derik Lynch. It follows Derik, an initiated Anangu and queer-identifying man, on a road trip to Country for spiritual healing. Co-written and co-directed by Derik Lynch and Mathew Thorne, and produced by brothers Duncan and Patrick Graham and Corey Gray of Switch Productions, Marungka Tjalatjunu is a genuine collaboration between white and black worlds, described by Derik as ‘reconciliation through film’. The first narrative film of its type to be entirely voiced in language, the film had its world premiere at the prestigious 2023 Berlin International Film festival (Berlinale), becoming the first Australian film in history to win the festival’s Silver Bear award, and also winning the festival’s Teddy Award for best LGBT short.

Category description

This award is for an outstanding arts or cultural work, event or project for young people presented or held in South Australia. Nominees must be able to demonstrate a positive impact on and/or outcomes for young people.

The nominated work can be a performance, show, production, film, visual arts exhibition, publication, project or initiative aimed specifically at people aged 30 years and under.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
• How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/ activity
• How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts and culture.

2023 Shortlist

• Guthrak, Under The Microscope
• Hans and Gret, Windmill Theatre Company and Sandpit
• the Boy & the Ball, Stephen Noonan
• Beep and Mort – Series One, Windmill Pictures.

2023 Winner

the Boy & the Ball, Stephen Noonan

the Boy & the Ball is a non-verbal, interactive theatre performance created and performed by Stephen Noonan specifically to meet the developmental and emotional needs of 4-year-old audiences. In creating this work, Stephen has demonstrated how a finely tuned work for a specific age-group can profoundly amplify the engagement and impact of a theatre experience on its audience. the Boy & the Ball is a performance about the experiences of negotiation and play inherent in friendship-making and leads the young audience to a place of joy, delight and connection. Since its premiere season in August 2022, the Boy & the Ball has completed more than 100 performances in Adelaide and Regional South Australia and been programmed at three prestigious international children's festivals in Serbia, Italy and Malta.

Category description

This award is for an outstanding work or event presented or held as part of a festival program in South Australia.

Works and events can include performances, shows, productions, films, artworks, publications and visual arts exhibitions presented as part of a festival.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality and quality
• How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/ activity
• How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts and culture.

2023 Shortlist

• Hans and Gret, Windmill Theatre Company and Sandpit, Adelaide Festival 2023
• Talk to Me, Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Adelaide Film Festival 2022
• Haza, Kate Kurucz, Adelaide Fringe Festival 2023.

2023 Winner

Talk to Me, Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Adelaide Film Festival 2022

Talk to Me is the feature directorial debut from twin Adelaide filmmaking brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, better known to 6.5 million You Tube subscribers as "RackaRacka". Co-written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, and directed by Danny and Michael, Talk to Me takes a unique and innovative look at the horror genre partially through the lens of social media and the dark effects of viral content on young users. It has been hugely appreciated by young audiences, particularly in Australia, for its positive and unique representation of young, contemporary, diverse Australians on screen. The film had its world premiere as the Closing Night Gala screening of the Adelaide Film Festival 2022, where it screened to a sold-out crowd at Her Majesty's Theatre.

Category description

This award is for an outstanding work or event presented or held in South Australia, not as part of a festival program.

Works and events can include performances, shows, productions, films, artworks, publications and visual arts exhibitions presented not as part of a festival.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality and quality
• How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
• How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts and culture.

2023 Shortlist

• Skin Shade Night Day, Allison Chhorn
• The Normal Heart, State Theatre Company South Australia
• BÁRBAROS, Lina Limosani
• Beep and Mort – Series One, Windmill Pictures
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art in the Classroom Volume 2, Art Gallery of South Australia.

2023 Winner

Beep and Mort – Series One, Windmill Pictures

Beep and Mort is a live-action, puppet-based series created by Windmill Pictures for ABC Kids. Based on the Windmill Theatre Company stage production, Beep, the series was created for the screen by Director Rosemary Myers, Producer Kaye Weeks and Production and Character Designer Jonathon Oxlade, and is the first live-action puppetry children’s series to be made in South Australia. Delivered with Windmill’s signature offbeat humour and sense of fun, Beep and Mort is a heart-warming and offbeat comedy about friendship and how it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’re made of, home is wherever you charge your robot battery or rest your furry head. And friendship is the greatest power of all.

Category description

This award recognises activities that encourage strategic and innovative collaboration between independent artists and groups, funded arts and cultural organisations or with organisations outside the arts and cultural sector.

Nominations will be accepted for creative developments, projects, events, exhibitions, publications or performances that have been developed through a collaborative process that includes the sharing of resources and knowledge.

Both the partners involved, and the outcomes of the collaboration will be considered for the award.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Professional artists and organisations.

Judges consider:

• The artistic merit of the work/project/event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
• How the work/project/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form
• What the input of the partners/collaborators has been
• How the input of the collaborator/partners has enhanced the outcome.

2023 Shortlist

• A Partnership for Uncertain Times, Australian Network for Art & Technology, University of South Australia, Niki Sperou, Catherine Truman, Brad Darkson, Deidre Feeney, Ian Gibbins, Taylor Parham, Click Films, Newmarch Gallery, Jessica Alice, Marcelle Matthew Design, Artlink Magazine
• Ngapa William Cooper, Adelaide Festival, UKARIA Cultural Centre, Australian String Quartet, Lior, Nigel Westlake, Dr Lou Bennett, Kees Boersma, Rebecca Lagos, Andrea Lam
• Adelaide Film Festival EXPAND Lab 2022, Adelaide Film Festival, Samstag Museum of Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Illuminate Adelaide, The Balnaves Foundation.

2023 Winner

Adelaide Film Festival EXPAND Lab 2022, Adelaide Film Festival, Samstag Museum of Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Illuminate Adelaide, The Balnaves Foundation.

Launched during the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) 2022, AFF EXPAND Lab is a new initiative from AFF to connect practitioners from across diverse creative areas, bringing together their combined expertise and skills to generate new moving image artworks. EXPAND provides this pathway gap for South Australian artists and Australian artists to grow and be at the forefront of this burgeoning field. It also emphasises the importance of showcasing this unique and growing artform, and thus contributes to growing the arts and cultural vibrancy of our state. Building on the long-term partnership of the Adelaide Film Festival with Samstag Museum of Art, this new collaboration alliance extended this partnership to the Art Gallery of South Australia and Illuminate Adelaide, and developed a relationship with The Balnaves Foundation, bringing new philanthropic support to South Australia to be spent directly on artist development.

Category description

This award recognises a small-to-medium organisation or group that has made an outstanding contribution to arts and culture in South Australia.

Nominees must be small-to-medium arts or cultural organisations or groups, receiving no funding or less than $1 million in funding from Arts South Australia.

The award is open to:

• Amateur companies
• Small-to-medium funded and unfunded arts or cultural organisations
• Community organisations
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Volunteer organisations or groups.

Judges consider:

• How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
• How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.

2023 Shortlist

• Brink Productions
• Ku Arts (Aṉanguku Arts and Cultural Aboriginal Corporation)
• South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival Inc.
• JamFactory Contemporary Craft & Design Incorporated
• The Mill Adelaide.

2023 Winner

The Mill Adelaide

Since its inception in 2013, The Mill has become one of South Australia’s leading multidisciplinary arts organisations. It is a vibrant place of connection, creation and support for ambitious and exceptional artists. The Mill encompasses studios, creative offices, galleries and working spaces for more than 60 emerging and established artists, makers and designers. Its broader program supports more than 1000 artists each year, providing the necessary space to work on their practice, with a diverse program of events, performances, exhibitions and development opportunities. For a decade, The Mill’s commitment to creating meaningful and sustainable opportunities for artists to live, work and stay in South Australia, has been integral to supporting and growing the arts and bolstering the creative vibrancy of the state.

Category description

Named in honour of South Australian theatre director Geoff Crowhurst, this award recognises the contribution of an individual or organisation to community arts and cultural development.

Nominees must be able to demonstrate credibility through involvement in arts and cultural projects that build stronger, more cohesive communities. This may be evidenced by creative collaborations between the arts and cultural sector and communities, working to achieve artistic and social outcomes.

A community is determined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender or disability, or it could be an online community.

The award is open to:

• Arts and culture sector workers
• Community workers
• Local and State Government workers
• Not-for-profit sector workers
• Private enterprise workers
• Professional artists
• Volunteers.

Judges consider:

• How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
• How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.

2023 Winner

Tony Hannan

Tony Hannan is an artist whose practice over 40 years has reflected the ethos of community cultural development with strong community focus, collaboration with many arts companies and local councils, and mentoring countless young performers, makers, visual artists and musicians. As a founder of Cirkidz in 1985, to developing KneeHigh Puppets in the 1990s, and the much-loved Hahndorf Winter Lantern Festival in the mid-2000s, Tony’s trademark work includes the giant festival puppets, magnificent cane and tissue fire lanterns, and a magical aesthetic and well-planned mischief for which Tony is widely loved and respected.

Category description

This award recognises outstanding artistic or cultural achievement or contribution by an individual young South Australian. Nominees must be aged 30 years or under as of 30 June 2023.

The award is open to:

• Arts and cultural sector workers
• Community workers
• Individual artists (professional and emerging)
• Local and State Government workers
• Not-for-profit sector workers
• Private enterprise workers
• Volunteers.

Judges consider:

• How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
• How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.

2023 Winner

Alexander Flood

Alexander Flood is an innovator in his field within jazz and creative original music, and a passionately supportive collaborator of professional, up-and-coming, and culturally diverse South Australian and international artists. As a drummer, bandleader, composer, producer, and educator, Alex has been working with musicians of many genres around Australia and the world. Still in his late 20s, as the Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award recipient, Alex has been recognised for his artistic achievements, creative originality, and significant impact in his chosen creative field.

Category description

This award recognises outstanding artistic or cultural achievement or contribution by a South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-focused organisation or group, or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified individual.

The award is open to:

• Arts and cultural sector
• Community organisations
• Individual artists (professional and emerging)
• Local and State Government
• Not-for-profit sector
• Private enterprise
• Volunteer sector.

Judges consider:

• How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
• How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.

2023 Winner

Natasha Wanganeen

Natasha Wanganeen, a Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, Kaurna and Noongar woman, is an award-winning Aboriginal South Australian actor with an acclaimed career in stage and screen. Since her critically acclaimed starring role in 2002 feature film Rabbit-Proof Fence, aged just 15, Natasha has gone on to star in numerous Australian film, television and stage productions, including Kate Grenville’s play The Secret River, and 2023 desert noir film, Limbo. Her debut film as co-writer and co-producer is 2022 First Nations sci-fi drama Bunker: The Last Fleet, about an alien invasion of Australia, in which she also plays the lead role.

Category description

This award recognises an extraordinary South Australian who, through a lifetime of outstanding service, has made an indelible contribution to arts and culture.

Nominees must be able to demonstrate credibility through a lifetime’s body of work, creative originality, professionalism or leadership.

The award is open to:

• Arts and cultural sector workers
• Community workers
• Local and State Government workers
• Not-for-profit sector workers
• Private enterprise workers
• Professional artists
• Volunteers.

Judges consider:

• How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
• How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.

2023 Winners

Diana Harris

Diana Harris has made an outstanding contribution to the music industry and has received numerous awards in recognition of her service, including an OAM in 2008 for service to education in the field of music. One of Adelaide’s most distinguished pianists, accompanists and educators, Diana has worked tirelessly as a musician and educator, making an impact in the music industry by bringing to the fore the importance of the collaborative pianist, inspiring many with her foresight, passion and drive. One of Diana’s most outstanding achievements was founding the Accompanists Guild of South Australia in 1983, one of the few Guilds of Accompanists in the world. During the Guild’s forty years, Diana has convened, organised and directed countless festivals involving musicians of both national and international renown.

Nigel Levings

Nigel Levings is regarded by many as ‘the father of contemporary stage lighting practices’ and his name has become synonymous with exemplary lighting design for stage in this country. Nigel has worked on more than 500 shows throughout his career, lighting opera and theatre around the world, including in St Petersburg, Paris, Washington, London, Cardiff, Berlin, Baden-Baden, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Toronto. Although his work has taken him around the globe and won him many awards and accolades, Nigel has always found his way back to South Australia. He has contributed to the South Australian arts industry in immeasurable ways, with his remarkable career including more than 60 shows with the State Theatre Company and more than 200 shows at the Adelaide Festival Centre.