The South Australian Museum has announced a shortlist of 74 finalists for the 2026 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize.
The Waterhouse, which is owned and operated by the Museum, is one of Australia’s most prestigious and richest art prizes.
All up, 42 finalists have been named in the Open category, and another 32 in the Emerging artist category.
The winners will be announced Thursday 9 April 2026,and all shortlisted entries will go on exhibition at the South Australian Museum from Friday 10 April to Sunday 19 July 2026.
The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize carries a total prize pool of $40,000 across its two categories.
Winner of the Open category will win $30,000, while the Emerging category winner takes home $10,000. There is also a People’s Choice prize voted by exhibition visitors.
The Waterhouse was launched in 2002 and is named in honour of the Museum’s first curator Frederick George Waterhouse.
Artists were invited to submit any form of visual fine art that relates to the natural world, with the exception of photography. To be eligible, the work must have been produced no earlier than January 2025 and must relate to the natural world and the sciences associated with it, such as biology, geology, astronomy, chemistry and physics.
Works relating to natural history were also eligible.
The judges are:
Coby Edgar is a queer multi-racial Gulumoerrigin(Larrakia)/Jingili/Filipino/Chinese/Irish/Scottish/English - First Nationscurator, writer and presenter.
Professor Craig T. Simmons is Chief Scientist for South Australia. He is a leading groundwater scientist, recognised for contributions to groundwater science, science leadership, education, and policy reform.
Jason Smith is Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia. Previously he was Director & CEO of Geelong Gallery, one of Australia’s oldest and most important regional galleries.
Dr Samantha Hamilton is the Director & CEO of the South Australian Museum. She is also President of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material.
More information on the Waterhouse can be found here.
Comments attributable to South Australian Museum Director Dr Samantha Hamilton
The Waterhouse has excelled again, attracting some of the most amazing pieces from artists all around the county.
There are paintings, sculptures, weavings and even a bold selection of digital and video pieces.
This selection of finalists will only reinforce the Waterhouse’s standing in the both the artistic and scientific community.
As a judge it was fascinating to see how the individual artists were able to relate their work to the sciences. Both disciplines are central to the human condition, and all the artists showed great imagination, skill and talent.
We hope the exhibition will also engage the wider public, and the Museum will be working hard to reach as many people as possible.
Image: The Ghosts of our Coastal Water by Deb McKay, Shortlisted artist, Open Prize
