Registrations now open for 25th SALA Festival!

SALA-First-Nations-Art-Tour-with-Thomas-Readett-photo-by-Sam-RobertsSouth Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival is encouraging South Australian artists of all skill levels to exhibit in 2022 and be part of Australia’s largest open access visual arts festival and its 25th anniversary!

SALA showcases South Australia’s diverse and dynamic living artists and all are welcome to participate regardless of age or level of experience. SALA is committed to the vision of creating and sustaining an environment in which South Australian visual artists are supported and celebrated. SALA will run from 1 – 31 August 2022.

Participants can choose to exhibit in a venue or online.  Local businesses looking to get involved can list their venue as an exhibition space using the SALA website and find an artist looking for a venue. Venues seeking artists and artists seeking venues are both listed at the new look Artist & Venue Finder.

“In its 25 years SALA has grown to become the world’s largest open access visual arts festival, with over 9,000 artists participating annually. In this momentous year we encourage all artists and venues who have considered taking part to get in contact to find out how you can participate, or jump online and sign up to the Artist & Venue Finder,” saidKate Moskwa, SALA CEO.

“Anywhere can be a SALA venue, including schools, cafes, retail spaces, office foyers and home studios. SALA spans the entire State of South Australia with no exhibition too big or too small for this inclusive festival. Register a solo exhibition or team up with a group of artists to exhibit together.”

SALA invites registrations for exhibitions and other activities which can be accessed either in a venue or online. Exhibition registrations are open to visual artists of all experience levels, with the only requirement being they must be living in South Australia at the time of registering and/or while their exhibition is on. Registering is quick and easy with SALA’s online form at: salafestival.com

Registered artists are also eligible to enter the 2022 SALA Awards which includes the Country Arts SA Breaking Ground Award, open to visual artists from regional South Australia, supporting them to ‘break new ground’ with $10,000, a mentorship and exhibition in a major gallery space in metropolitan Adelaide in the 2023 SALA Festival.

The City of Adelaide Incubator Award is open to artists at any stage of their career, working in any medium whose work explores and/or celebrates the experience of the city with a prize valued at $7,000 and the winner to participate in one public program at the City Library before SALA Festival 2023.

There is also the Unitcare Services Digital Media Award for artists working in digital art including computer, moving image, virtual, interactive, sound and internet platforms, with a prize of $5,000 and The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award for the most outstanding work in any medium in SALA Festival 2022 with a prize of $5000.

The City Rural Emerging Artist Award is for artists in the early stages of their career with less than five years professional experience with a prize of $2500. The City of Unley Active Ageing Award is for those over the age of 60 with a prize of $2000 and an exhibition space in Unley for SALA 2023.

The Don Dunstan Foundation Award is for artists whose work explores social justice themes, with a prize of $1000 and the City of Onkaparinga Contemporary Curator Award is open to emerging or established curators with a prize of $1000 with a supported exhibition at Sauerbier House for SALA 2023. Visit the SALA website to browse the list of awards and for entry details.


The 2022 South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival will run 1 – 31 August. Registrations are open until Wednesday 11 May. SALA is offering reduced early bird fees for registrations submitted before Wednesday 20 April. For more information, visit: www.salafestival.com for details.

Image: SALA First Nations Art Tour with Thomas Readett – photo by Sam Roberts