finalist Judges

Tina Wilson

Tina has over 16 years’ experience working in the Gallery and Museum Industry, supporting artists and creative arts initiatives in both Queensland and New South Wales. She has extensive experience in the Creative Arts Sector, curating exhibitions and working with regional artists to realise exhibitions to their full potential. She worked for many years as an Exhibitions Promotions Officer and the Coordinator of Exhibitions and Public Programs at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. Under these roles she delivered the nationally prestigious Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award from 2011 – 2017, highlighting the extensive role of adornment, contemporary jewellery and small objects in the contemporary arts scene.

With a passion for the creative arts industry, Tina has been invited on various selection panels as a jury member or judge for art awards, and as an assessor for arts grants and residencies. She has been the Exhibitions – Curator at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre since 2022. During this time she has curated major exhibitions from the collection along with her own exhibition initiatives, incorporating invited artists, commissions and major institutional loans. She holds a Bachelor of Business and Arts (BABU) majoring in Visual arts and Creative Multimedia, along with a post-graduate degree, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours), from University of Southern Queensland (USQ).

Michael Bell

Bio 2026
Michael Bell is a Newcastle-based artist who has been creating and exhibiting his
artwork for over 45 years.
Michael has held 30 solo exhibitions and has participated in over 300 group
shows. He has been selected twice as a finalist in The Archibald Prize and five
times in the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
In 2007 and in 2011, Michael was awarded The Cite Internationale des Arts
visual artist studio in Paris, France.
In 2018 and in 2024, Michael participated in the Hua Hin Contemporary
International Artist Residency in Thailand with 11 other international artists.
In 2024, Pacc_gallery, hosted a 30 year retrospective exhibition of Bell’s artworks.
In 2025, Michael was a finalist in The Dobell Drawing Prize at The National Art
School, Sydney.
He was also selected as a finalist in The Korea- Australian Art Foundation Prize.
And in 2025, Bell also held a solo exhibition of new paintings and sculptures at
Straitjacket Gallery, Newcastle.
Michael’s artwork is held in many public collections including The Australian
National Gallery Canberra, The National Library of Australia Canberra, Newcastle
Art Gallery, Muswellbrook Art Gallery, Manning Regional Art Gallery, Maitland
Regional Art Gallery and The Museum of Art and Culture, yapang – Lake Macquarie
City.
His artwork is also held in many private collections across Australia, the UK,
Norway, Ireland and Thailand.

FIRST ROUND JUDGES

Jann Kesby

Drawing inspiration from her surroundings on the north coast of NSW, Jann plays with textures and neutral colours to create functional tableware for the considered home.

Jann’s training began in a production workshop on the outskirts of Sydney during the 1970’s with hands on practical training. This was followed by a traineeship at Sturt Craft Workshops, Mittagong – the first production workshop established in Australia.

Following her traineeship, Jann moved back to the Mid North Coast of NSW where she established her own workshop, specialising in wood firing.

Jann has gained Certificate IV in Visual Arts, taught in Arts & Media through TAFE NSW, presented at and attended workshops, conferences and residences internationally. She was the manager and coordinator of the Dunghutti Ngaku Aboriginal Art Gallery from 2009 to 2018.
Jann’s work is held in public and private collections throughout Australia and internationally

Michael Sprott

Artist – Curator – Installer

Michael is a Sydney-based artist, working predominately in transparent resins. His works explore repetition and variation in nature through changes in sculptural forms.
His work can be seen at michaelsprott.net

He has exhibited in a variety of gallery and outdoor exhibitions including:
Sydney Botanic Gardens – Fungi x Botanica – 2021
Be Brave Gallery – Avalon – 2020
Sydney Pop Gallery – Hunters Hill 2019, Mosman 2020
Sculpture@Bayside – 2019

He is currently working with Artspace Gallery, Woolloomooloo and National Art School, Biennale of Sydney, Articulate Gallery Leichhardt, and See Street Gallery, Meadowbank  

Steve Pickering

Steve Pickering has been heavily involved in the arts in the Clarence Valley, both as a gallery owner and also a committee member on the Clarence Valley Cultural Committee. As president of Ulmarra Village Inc (the Ulmarra progress association), he organised community events which were a wonderful way to bring the community together during the days of COVID.

He opened the Coldstream Gallery in the historic river-port village of Ulmarra, with his partner, in 2017. As an advocate of local artists and creatives, he realises the importance of the creative arts and associated industries. Steve has been an invited judge at art competitions including the Jacaranda Art Exhibition, Wild about Wooli and the Lilli Pilli Art Show, amongst others. Steve is currently a board member and treasurer of Arts Northern Rivers as well as a first-term councillor on the Clarence Valley Council, where his aim is to strengthen the focus on arts, culture, heritage and youth within the Clarence Valley and Northern Rivers region. The importance of arts and culture in repairing and rebuilding communities can not be underestimated. Arts are the glue that brings communities together.

Marc McIntyre:

I have been co-owner of the Coldstream Gallery since 2017 and have been immersed in the arts and culture of the Northern Rivers. Since moving to the region, I have judged many art competitions including The Lilli Pilli Art prize, The Wooli art show, Grafton art clubs Jacaranda art competition to name a few.  I have strong passion for supporting local artists/artisans and providing an engaging space for them to display their work and to promote the amazing local talent to a wider audience via the Coldstream Gallery. I am also very keen to encourage young emerging artists and artisans to follow their artistic passions and support them from the onset of an idea through to representation on a commercial level.

Arts and culture are far more important to life than a lot of people realise and I endeavour to promote and enjoy what it has to offer. I have had the pleasure of knowing and supporting many friends and family over the last 40 years in their artistic practices and have always enjoyed watching them evolve and grow in their field of practice.