This coveted award is valued at $500 and was judged by the public over the duration of the exhibition which concluded on 26 August 2016.

With over 156 votes tallied Meg Hof’s work was the clear winner.

As a first time contributor, Meg was pleasantly surprised by the win, describing it as “super exciting because I have never entered a competition before and put myself out there like this.”

Speaking about her winning artwork she said drew inspiration from the place she lives, her love of the Bush Capital and the surrounding region.

Meg plans to continue working on private commissions but says the award prize will go to “making the studio a little bit cosier with a new heater.”

Joining Meg as other winners for 2016 were Sally Simpson, winner of the Overall Regional Art Award for ‘Objects for an Unknown Future Museum’; Highly Commended winner Sharon Field for ‘Landscape II: Over endless plains, stumbling in cracked earth’ and Leah-Kate Hannaford who won the Form Studio & Gallery Award for Professional Practice for her work ‘A Closer Look’.

“It has been an exceptional exhibition for the region and certainly shows the abundance of talent found in the area,” said Georgia Perri, Cultural Development Officer at Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.