1. The Len Fox Painting Award is a painting award and exhibition conducted by the Castlemaine Art Museum (the Gallery or Castlemaine Art Museum throughout). The Len Fox Painting Award was initiated and funded by a bequest to the Castlemaine Art Gallery & Historical Museum Foundation by author, teacher and historian Len Fox (1905–2004) whose uncle was the Australian born impressionist painter Emanuel Phillips Fox. The award is for a painting in sympathy with the work of E. Phillips Fox. The value of the award is $50,000. The award is acquisitive: the winning artwork will become property of the Castlemaine Art Museum.

E. Phillips Fox (1865–1915)
When submitting your entry, it is important that the work engages with the legacy of E. Phillips Fox. Further information on E. P. Fox can be found via:

Australian Dictionary of Biography
National Gallery of Australia Collection
National Gallery of Victoria Collection
National Portrait Gallery

2. The award is open to artists residing in Australian (citizens of Australia or permanent residents).

3. Employees of Castlemaine Art Museum, the organisers, the judge and members of their immediate family are ineligible to enter.

4. Entrants may submit for consideration one painting executed after 1 January 2024. The work must be the original work of the artist. The work must not exceed 2 metres in any direction including frame. The work must be suitably framed/ready for display, with appropriate fittings for hanging (i.e., D-rings), and clearly marked with the Artist’s name, address and title of work.

5. Digital images of the entered work should be no more than 2 megabytes (MB), saved as jpegs and able to be opened on PC format. Jpegs must be saved with the following details as the file name: Artist Surname_Artist First Name_Title_Year.jpeg (Example: Fox_EP_BathingHour_1909.jpeg). Physical slides, printed photographs, photocopied reproductions or any other representations of the work will not be accepted for consideration.

6. Entry fee is $50 incl. GST. Entry fee is non-refundable and covers administration and handling. Any entry not accompanied by payment of entry fee will be ineligible. Payment may be made via Square portal or debit or credit card (via Jotform).

7. All entries must be submitted and received by 11:59pm Sunday, 13 September 2026. Entries must be submitted online via the form unless alternative arrangements have been made for access needs. Please contact anna.schwann@castlemaineartmuseum.org.au to arrange another method. Entries received after 11.59 pm Sunday 13 September will not be accepted. Entries must consist of a high-quality digital image, artist biography, artist statement on the artwork’s relationship to E. P. Fox, completed entry form and payment of entry fee. If selected as an exhibiting finalist, the artist statement and biography will be published as part of an extended label alongside the work on exhibition (note, edits may be required to accommodate label design).

8. An award exhibition of shortlisted finalists will be held at Castlemaine Art Museum, 14 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine, Victoria from Friday 11 December 2026 to Sunday 14 March 2027. The official exhibition opening event and prize announcement will be held on Friday 11 December 2026. Shortlisted finalists will be invited and are encouraged to attend.

9. Works chosen for the exhibition of finalists will be pre-selected from digital images submitted along with an entry form and artist statement. If selected as an exhibiting finalist, this will be published as part of an extended label alongside the work on exhibition (note, edits may be required to accommodate label design).

10. All artists will be informed of pre-selection outcome during early October 2026. The Castlemaine Art Museum will retain selected artists’ visual material until the close of the exhibition.

11. Works selected for exhibition must be delivered to the Castlemaine Art Museum between 16-29 November (between 12pm and 4pm). Works must be delivered to the Gallery no later than 4pm Sunday 29 November. Works will be stored at the Gallery until the installation of the exhibition and remain on display throughout the exhibition period. After the exhibition, artists are responsible for the collection of their work between 18-21 March 2027 (between 12pm and 4pm).

12. Artists are responsible for the delivery and collection of their artwork from the Castlemaine Art Museum. Artwork will not be accepted unless delivered and returned free of all freight and other charges. If an artist should fail or omit to remove/collect their work between 18-21 March 2027, the Gallery will send a notice via email to the artist, at the last known address, of its intention to sell or otherwise dispose of such work. In the event of no address being known to the Gallery, then one month after advertising such notice of intention via Castlemaine Art Museum’s social media networks, the Gallery may sell or dispose of such work. After deducting the incidental costs of the sale, the balance will be held for the artist. Provided however, that in the event of such work being in the opinion of the Gallery unsaleable, then the Gallery may in lieu of selling the same, destroy or otherwise dispose in such a manner as it may deem fit and thereafter the gallery shall be under no liability whatever to the artist in respect of any work so destroyed or disposed of. Notwithstanding anything in this clause, Castlemaine Art Museum agrees to comply with Uncollected Goods legislation as relevant from time to time. All care will be taken; however, the gallery will not be responsible for any loss or damage caused. Freight and insurance are the responsibility of the artist.

13. All works must be well packed and clearly labelled with artist’s name, address, title of work, and clear installation requirements included (if applicable). Works must be packed in such a way that the work can be unpacked efficiently and repacked in the same way for return at the end of the exhibition. It is intended that the works selected will be shown in exhibition at the Gallery. Should space prevent the display of work, the Gallery will advise the entrant. For any entrant who was selected as a finalist but whose work is unable to be displayed due to space issues, the Gallery will reimburse the entrant for the cost of freight of the work and the original entry fee. 

14. All entries selected for the exhibition must be available for continuous display at the Gallery for the period of the exhibition. Artists and/or representatives cannot remove an artwork from display prior to Sunday 14 March 2027. All artwork must be collected no later than 21 March 2027 unless return postage or alternate delivery at the artists cost is specified and confirmed with the prize administrator.

15. The Gallery will not be responsible for any loss or damage suffered to any work in its possession or under its control. Works will not be insured by the Gallery.

S16. The Gallery will not be responsible for the sale of artworks during the exhibition period. Any enquiries regarding sale of work will be directed to the artist and/or dealer. Contact details of the gallery/dealer must be provided on your entry form.

17. All entrants warrant that they are the copyright owners of their works and have all relevant rights to allow their work to be entered in the award. The Gallery acknowledges each entrant as the copyright owner of their artworks. 

18. Artists selected for exhibition will provide a non-exclusive, non-commercial, royalty-free, licence for three (3) years for their selected artwork/s to be reproduced in print and electronic media in the advertising and promotion of the award/exhibition and in any catalogue or publication printed in connection with the exhibition. All artists selected for exhibition will also provide a non-exclusive, non-commercial, royalty-free, perpetual licence for images of their selected artwork/s to be kept for archival purposes by the Gallery. 

19. The Gallery acknowledges the Moral Rights of each entrant under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). As per clause 7 above, the Gallery must attribute all entrants’ work with a prominent label in the exhibition space. The Gallery agrees to acknowledge the entrants appropriately in accordance with the information provided on the Entry Form for any reproduction of the artwork under the licence in clause 18. 

20. If a work embodies any Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) (for example, the traditional languages, knowledge, stories or practices of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities), the artist will notify the Gallery of the presence of this ICIP-protected material. The Gallery agrees that it will not denigrate or damage that ICIP or help anyone else to do so. The Gallery agrees to comply with relevant cultural protocols concerning the display of ICIP material as notified by the artist, including the acknowledgement of custodial interests specified by the artist to accompany the display or reproduction of the artwork.

 Selection of the Winning Artwork

21. The judges of the award are Angela Hesson and with non-voting Chair Leslie Gurusinghe.

22. The judge will select one winning work from the exhibition of selected finalists. The judge reserves the right not to select any work if works are not, in their opinion of sufficient merit. The Gallery has the right to refuse to display any entry.

23. The judge’s decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

 Privacy of Information

24. All personal information gathered by the Castlemaine Art Museum will be used solely for the purpose of administering the Award. Visit the 2026 Len Fox Painting Award webpage for further details.

25. The Gallery reserves the right to change these terms from time to time. All changes will be communicated publicly via the Gallery website and social media, and communicated directly to all persons who have entered the prize this year.

 IMPORTANT DATES

Entries Open: 28 May 2026
Entries Close: 13 September 2026
Selected Finalists Notified: Early October
Finalists to Deliver Work to Castlemaine Art Museum: From November 16-29 (Between 12pm and 4pm)
Exhibition Dates: 11 Dec 2026 - 14 March 2027
Official Opening and Prize Announcement at CAM: Friday 11 December
Announcement of People’s Choice: 14 March 2027
Collection of Works: 18 - 21 March (Between 12pm and 4pm)