Two Tasmanian artists have taken top honours at the prestigious 2025 Henry Jones Art Prize, following a record number of entries in the competition’s history.
Zoe Fitzherbert claimed the Painting Prize and $20,000 for her work “Oberon’s Throne”, while Harry Blizzard secured the Mixed Media Prize and $20,000 for “Thirsty Work” at a gala event in Hobart on Wednesday night.
The annual prize attracted 165 entries across both categories, with judges selecting 46 finalists before determining the winners.
Curator of the Henry Jones Art Hotel Tina Zucco praised the exceptional standard of this year’s competition.
“We have had both a record quantity and exceptional quality in this year’s Henry Jones Art Prize entries,” Zucco said.
“It is a great testament to Zoe and Harry to stand out in such a contested field of Tasmania’s finest emerging artists.”
Acclaimed Tasmanian artist and judge Nicholas Blowers described Fitzherbert’s winning painting as “a masterful evocation of landscapes atmospherics that reflect a sense of place that is visually compelling”.
“The cartographic elements are an interesting counterpoint to the washes of layered acrylic paint,” he added.
Blizzard’s graphite drawing impressed the judging panel with its sophisticated approach to still life.
“We found his incongruous pairing of everyday objects compelling and nuanced for such a young artist working within the genre of still life,” Blowers said.
Artist Jesse Bateman received a high commendation for the painting “Dollop”, which judges described as “wonderfully mysterious” with “adventurous and innovative collage technique”.
The judging panel comprised Helen Wright, Nicholas Blowers and David Keeling, who faced what Zucco described as “the formidable task” of selecting finalists and winners from the large pool of entries.
