Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) has announced the award-recipients of the 2025 Hatched: National Graduate Show‘s Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards – the country’s most prestigious exhibition and art prize for recent art school graduates – presented to three Hatched artists in recognition of their outstanding talent and to support their professional and artistic development.
Celebrating Hatched‘s 34th year, the awards were presented by acclaimed artist and Hatched alum, guest judge Archie Moore at Friday’s PICA After Dark: Opening Night Party – held at the expansive 3,500 sqm off-site Hatched 2025 venue in the heart of Perth’s CBD, open from 2 August to 5 October.
In 2025, the ‘most exceptional’ prize was awarded to Tom Duffy of the University of Wollongong (NSW) for his painting triptych Djagats (The Newly Arrived/Native Dignity), Grace Yong of Curtin University (WA), for their video work 她的姓氏，一篇历史 her name, an anthology, and Samuel Chan of National Art School (NSW) for their performance and installation works Sanguine Fever Dream, At Eventuality’s End, Embrace and Transfiguration.
Now in its 16th year, the Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards – totalling $50,000 – is the largest prize pool for emerging artists in Australia and are made possible by funds bequeathed to The University of Western Australia by Dr Harold Schenberg. The Awards consist of three $15,000 ‘most exceptional’ prizes and a $5,000 People’s Choice Award, which is presented at the end of the exhibition.
Since 1992, Hatched has served as an important platform for emerging artists, helping to launch the careers of notable Australian figures such as Archie Moore, Khaled Sabsabi, Julie Gough, Dennis Golding and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. As the country’s only national survey of art school graduates, the exhibition plays a vital role in fostering artistic development and helping artists transition into the professional art world.
“I was impressed by the potential of all the artists,” says guest judge Archie Moore (Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist and winner of the prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale 2024). “But there were some works that really stood out with a high standard and level of professionalism, as if they’re not early-career artists at all.”
“Their works are very elegant, refined and resolved, they’re well thought-out and speak to personal histories but also universal experiences that anyone from any culture can understand.”
“Hatched is an important platform to bridge the gap between emerging and professional artists, and provides networking opportunities such as meeting other artists and industry leaders. It’s also a prestigious addition to their CV and helps pave the way for their future careers. I’m really interested to see where they go next,” says Moore.
Joining Moore for the 2025 Dr Harold Schenberg Arts Awards judging panel were Hannah Mathews (PICA Director/CEO) and Dr Theo Costantino (Director, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA).
Tom Duffy, a Dharug artist, uses archival imagery to challenge colonial narratives and reframe representations of First Nations people. His triptych Djagats (The Newly Arrived/Native Dignity) 2024, reimagines Samuel Thomas Gill’s colonial depictions, blending traditional patterns and possum fur with European attire to reclaim clothing as a symbol of Indigenous pride and resistance.
The judging panel noted “we kept returning to and thinking about the complexity of the themes, contexts and strategies at play in this work. We were impressed by the risk taking involved in tackling appropriation as a decolonising strategy. The artist also demonstrates a confident handling of paint as a material language, and we are excited to see where future work with his own personal archive takes him.”
Blending traditional and contemporary media to explore her Chinese-Malay matrilineage, in Grace Yong‘s single channel video work 她的姓氏，一篇历史 her name, an anthology 2024, she self–documents the intimate act of writing a letter in Chinese calligraphy.
Using 绝句 (jué jù), a traditional form of Chinese poetry, Yong recounts her great-grandmother’s name change made out of filial piety. Reflecting on the tension between tradition and personal identity, the work honours Chinese art forms while addressing generational shifts and the complexities of mixed-culture heritage in a Western context.
“This is a well-made, empathetic work inviting the viewer into an intimate conversation that crosses cultures and generations, layering language, translation and memory,” the judges said. “Calligraphy, photography and video tell a story that is both personal and universal.”
Samuel Chan explores the complexities of his queer, Singaporean-Chinese-Australian and former-Christian identities as he activates sculpture through performance. Chan’s body of work – comprised of Sanguine Fever Dream 2024, At Eventuality’s End 2024, Embrace 2024 and Transfiguration 2024 – uses materials like marble, hand-dyed paper and cast resin, as he reinterprets Eastern and Western traditions via mythology and allegory. The work simultaneously confronts internalised oppression and celebrates transgressive aspects of diasporic identity.
“The artist has presented a refined suite of works demonstrating a focused and highly skilled use of materials,” the judges stated. “The works are subtle, elegant and evocative in their effect, signalling an artist with a sophisticated creative language that spans a range of cultural contexts.”
Showcasing the next generation of Australia’s contemporary creative voices, this year’s Hatched exhibition presents the work of 23 recent art school graduates from 20 art schools across the country.
For the first time in its history, Hatched is being presented in a light-filled office building in Perth’s Forrest Chase, generously provided by ISPT. Situated in the heart of the CBD – adjacent to Perth’s central train station, university and cultural precinct – this dynamic location offers new opportunities for students, artists and the public to engage with the exhibition.
Hatched: National Graduate Show 2025
Forrest Chase, Level 3 – 401 Wellington St, Perth
Exhibition continues to 5 October 2025
Free entry
For more information, visit: www.pica.org.au for details.
Image: Hannah Mathews (PICA Director/CEO), Archie Moore (Hatched alum and guest judge), Grace Yong (WA), Samuel Chan (NSW) and Tom Duffy (NSW), and Dr Theo Costantino (Director, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA and guest judge). Hatched: National Graduate Show 2025. Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts – photo by Tristan McKenzie