Judging

2025 Finalists

SUSI MUDDIMAN OAM

Susi Muddiman OAM is the Director, Gallery & Visual Arts at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, a role she commenced in November 2023.

With over 25 years’ experience in the sector, her previous Directorship roles have included the award-winning Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery and Grafton Regional Gallery. Throughout her career Susi has worked across a range of visual arts activities. She is passionate about increasing the professional recognition of galleries and artists by securing financial sustainability through grants, philanthropy, professional presentation of exhibitions, publications and programs, capital development and facility management.

Susi has served as a member of the Visual Arts Board through Create NSW, and as a Board Member of Museums & Galleries of NSW. She is currently a Committee member of Public Galleries Queensland. She has contributed to many committees, judging panels and advisory roles, and curated numerous exhibitions, many of which have enjoyed national tours.

Susi was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List 2015 for service to the galleries and museums of NSW.

AMBER CRESWELL BELL

Amber Creswell Bell is an art curator, an author of books on the arts, a lifestyle writer, and speaker. With a passion for art, Amber is recognised for championing and educating emerging and unrepresented artists. She is currently the Director of Emerging Art for Michael Reid galleries, curating both the emerging art and ceramics programs. In 2021 Amber established the National Emerging Art Prize (NEAP) in collaboration with Michael Reid.

Amber has published six best-selling art books with Thames & Hudson to date, with more in production. Her book, Still Life won Illustrated Non-fiction Book of the Year at the Indy Book Awards (2022) and Australian Abstract, was awarded Illustrated Book of the Year at the Australia Book Industry Awards (2024).

JESSICA LE CLERC

Jessica Le Clerc described as a “narrative impressionist realist” is primarily a portrait and landscape painter, but also a prolific illustrator.

Her love for land and soil comes from being raised on a dairy farm in rural Victoria, and with no formal training claims the land she was surrounded by, enchanted and enticed her to imagine and dream artistically. Jessica captures the human story through the reflection of the land that the subject is held in. The masterful realism that dissipates into impressionism and passionate textured brush strokes is both intense and light.

Jess is the Director of Art School Co. Australia’s largest private art school with over 750 weekly students. She is also considered a living master by the Art Renewal Center and has been a finalist and winner of multiple awards both within Australia and Internationally.