Taylor Celebrates the 10th Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize

Taylor is proud to have been the Major Partner of the 2026 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, joining for the first time at the landmark 10th anniversary. Held on Friday 15 May at Ravenswood School for Girls in Gordon, the Opening Night welcomed more than 350 guests, including government representatives, arts leaders, gallery directors, media, and the wider Ravenswood community.

Congratulations to Ravenswood School for Girls on a decade of championing this extraordinary initiative. What began in 2017 as a commitment to redressing the underrepresentation of women artists in Australia has grown into one of the most significant cultural events on the national arts calendar: ten years, more than 1,000 finalists, and a platform that has genuinely changed careers. That is something worth celebrating.

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ravenswood australian womens art prize taylor construction major sponsor5

The Winners

Sydney-based artist Monica Rani Rudhar was awarded the Professional Artist Prize, winning $35,000 for her ceramic work, When Both Shall Meet. Judges described the piece as a refreshingly unique connection to cultural heritage, representing traditional Indian jewellery at overscale as a monument to cultural identity and the intimacy of love between mother and daughter, husband and wife. It is the kind of work that stops you: personal, layered, and deeply felt.

The Emerging Artist Prize was awarded to Jane Burton Taylor for her paper bark work Colonial Waistcoat, described by judges as a reimagining of colonial history designed to spark conversation about Australia’s past. The Indigenous Emerging Artist Prize went to Northern Territory artist Stephanie Bush for her acrylic work Papa Tjukurrpa-Nyumannu, which judges praised for feeling alive with energy, inviting the viewer to dive into patterns framed within frames of pattern.

What stood out across the exhibition was the emotional honesty in the work. These artists are not making art for its own sake; they are using their practice to say something true about identity, country, history, and connection. That comes through in every piece, and it is a direct reflection of what ten years of genuine support for women artists in Australia has made possible.

A Partnership Grounded in Shared Purpose

Taylor’s partnership with Ravenswood is grounded in a shared belief: that women deserve visible, supported pathways in their chosen fields, whether in the arts or construction. Both industries have historically underrepresented women, and both the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize and Taylor are doing active work to change that.

Through the Taylor Learning Partnership Program, Year 9 and 10 students from Ravenswood have come on site, worked through real industry challenges alongside our people, and left with a different picture of what a career in construction can look like. When women see the industry, they can see themselves in it. That conviction sits at the heart of everything we do in this space.

“The calibre of art at this year’s Prize was extraordinary, and a genuine reflection of what ten years of championing women artists in Australia has built. Congratulations to every finalist and winner. We are proud to be part of what comes next, as both a partner and the team building the permanent home of this Prize at the Anne Johnstone Wellbeing and Sports Centre. We look forward to returning as Major Partner in 2027.”

Elliot Hicks, Chief Operating Officer, Taylor

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Building the Future Home

From 2027, the Prize will have a permanent home in the Anne Johnstone Wellbeing and Sports Centre, currently under construction by Taylor on the Ravenswood campus. The Centre will include a dedicated exhibition space designed to showcase the Art Prize and other community events, alongside a Great Hall and Gymnasium for up to 1,700 people, basketball, netball, and rooftop tennis courts, and a state-of-the-art Strength and Conditioning Centre.

It is a privilege to be building something that will serve this school and this community for generations. The fact that it will also become the permanent home of a Prize we care deeply about makes it all the more meaningful.

Selected from 1,750 entrants, the 103 finalists in the 2026 Art Prize comprised 54 Professional Artists, 38 Emerging Artists, and 11 Indigenous Emerging Artists, with entries representing every state and territory in Australia.

Taylor Celebrates the 10th Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize

Selected from 1,750 entrants, the 103 finalists in the 2026 Art Prize comprised 54 Professional Artists, 38 Emerging Artists, and 11 Indigenous Emerging Artists, with entries representing every state and territory in Australia.

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