# South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival 2024 Award Winners announced

**Latest News** — On Your Markus  
**Published:** 2 September 2024  
**Author:** Markus Hamence  
**Source:** https://onyourmarkus.au/latest-news/south-australian-living-artists-sala-festival-2024-award-winners-announced/

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The 27th **South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival** ended on a high note on Friday night with the much anticipated announcement of the 2024 award winners at The Lab (ILA). Both emerging and established artists were honoured for their outstanding artistic achievements. This year’s SALA saw 10,598 artists participate in 706 exhibitions throughout Adelaide and regional South Australia.

![](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/originals/10970/447796546_846517800855118_9048666963781138732_n.png)

**SALA Festival Acting CEO Bridget Alfred** said “*Judging panels for this year’s ****SALA**** Awards were blessed and challenged by the depth of talent, skills and originality across the finalists in all categories. The diversity was breathtaking, with established artists with decades of experience and exceptional skill sitting alongside exciting, raw and emerging voices. *

*The 2024 ****SALA Festival**** has been exceptional.  Congratulations to all the artists, venues and curators who have participated this year. This year we have seen over and over, the importance of art in the community and its capacity to bring people together, to create a pause in our hectic lives, to reduce our separations, and to elevate without the barriers that language can sometimes bring.  SALA Festivals greatest success is inadvertently gathering more South Australians into this wonderfully creative community.”*

The **SALA** Awards recognised a blend of fresh talent and seasoned artists, with both newcomers and established figures earning well-deserved accolades.

Alyssa Powell-Ascura won the **City of Adelaide Award** for her exhibition ‘Halo-halo’. This award recognises an artist whose work explores and/or celebrates the experience of the City of Adelaide.  Alyssa was awarded $5,000 and will participate in a public program with the City of Adelaide in 2025.

**The Advertisers Contemporary Art Award** is for the most outstanding work in any medium. OAKEY won a cash prize of $5,000 for her work ‘PORTAL’.

The **Unitcare Services Digital Media Award** is for artists working or experimenting in new media. Catherine Fitz-Gerald won the award and cash prize of $5,000 for her work ‘If Fabrics Could Speak’ which was audio described.

Eliana Della Flora was awarded **The City Rural Emerging Artist Award** and a cash prize of $2,500 . This award is for artists in the early stages of their careers, with under five years of professional experience.

**Inspiring SA Science in Art Award** is for artists whose work explores/engages with science, technology, engineering, maths or medicine (STEMM), or STEMM-related issues with a prize of $2,500. Victor Waclawik won the award for his work in ‘Propagation of Energy In A Fluid Medium’.

**The City of Unley Active Aging Award** is for artists over the age of 60 to celebrate the City of Unley’s involvement with **SALA **and its commitment to promoting and supporting an active aging approach. This year’s award went to Peter Fitton for his exhibition ‘Mistakes, Misdemeanors and Misconceptions’.  Peter won a cash prize of $2,000 and an exhibition space in Unley for **SALA **Festival in 2025. 

**The Don Dunstan Foundation Award. **In recognition of the 25th anniversary of Don Dunstan’s death and establishment of the Don Dunstan Foundation, the 2024 Don Dunstan Foundation Award is for artists whose work explores social justice or equality themes that align with the principles and legacy of Don Dunstan as a social, cultural, legal and economic reformer.  Mia Chaau Wa Fan won the award and cash prize of $1,000 for her illustration work using traditional Chinese materials and techniques.

**SALA Solo Photographic Opportunity** was given to Tony Kearney.  This opportunity is for an artist exhibiting photographic work in **SALA** Festival 2024, to support them in presenting a solo photographic exhibition of new work in the following year (**SALA** Festival 2025). The prize includes the printing of artwork at Atkins lab and consulting with Paul Atkins, mentorship from Gavin Blake of the Centre for Creative Photography, Exhibition space at praxis ARTSPACE for **SALA** 2025, and curatorial assistance from Patty Chehade and premium registration in **SALA** Festival 2025. 

The **Country Arts SA Breaking Ground Award** sets out to elevate and accelerate the careers of South Australian regional visual artists by providing support to push the boundaries of their practice into new and uncharted territory.  The recipient of this year’s award was Susie Althorp. Suzie received $10,000 to develop a body of work for a solo exhibition at Praxis Artspace in Adelaide during SALA Festival 2025 and a mentorship opportunity.

The **Guildhouse Artist’s Choice Award** is for artists of any medium, age, or skill level and this year’s recipient was Claire Foord. Claire will receive a 12 month Guildhouse Accredited Membership and a cash prize to the combined value of $1,000.

**Hither & Yon Venue Award** will be awarded at the conclusion of the festival to one venue that has gone above and beyond to support their artist/s and will be acknowledged for their efforts with a $1,000 cash prize.

**SALA Festival** has also announced Sue Kneebone will be the featured artist for 2025 and the focus of the 2025 South Australian Living Artists Publication, which will be penned by Andrew Purvis, Nicole Clift and James Tylor.

Sue is an interdisciplinary visual artist with a PhD in visual arts from the University of South Australia who works across different media creating mixed media and moving image works that incorporate the transformative processes of assemblage and montage to create new contexts, correlations, and associations that move across memory, history, and place.  

**2024 SALA AWARDS – FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS AND FINALISTS**

**City of Adelaide Award**  
PRIZE: $5,000 and involvement in a public program.  
FINALISTS: Cheryl Bridgart, OAKEY, Alyssa Powell-Ascura  
**Awarded to Alyssa Powell-Ascura**

![](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/originals/10969/Adelaide_E-2346_Alyssa-Powell-Ascura-Kain-Tayo-lets-eat-2023-ongoing_444310-1536x864-1.jpg)

**The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award**  
PRIZE: $5,000  
FINALISTS: Eleanor Alice, Luna Chan, Carolyn Corletto, Eliana Della Flora, Mia Chaau Wa Fan, Claire Foord, Yoko Kajio, Tom Keukenmeester, Lisa Khan, Judith Klavins, Monika Morgenstern, Jessica Murtagh, OAKEY, Taylor Parham, Liza Savchuk  
**Awarded to OAKEY**

![](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/originals/10971/Advertiser_E-2304_OAKEY-Portal-2024-1365x2048-1-e1725239235198.jpg)

**Unitcare Services Digital Media Award**  
PRIZE: $5,000  
FINALISTS: Catherine Fitz-Gerald, Judith Klavins, Alyssa Powell-Ascura  
**Awarded to Catherine Fitz-Gerald**

**City Rural Emerging Artists Award**  
PRIZE: $2,500  
FINALISTS: Eliana Della Flora, Lisa Khan, Adele Sliuzas  
**Awarded to Eliana Della Flora**

**Inspiring SA Science in Art Award**  
PRIZE: $2,500  
FINALISTS: Claire Foord, Adele Sliuzas, Victor Waclawik  
**Awarded to Victor Waclawik**

**The City of Unley Active Ageing Award**  
PRIZE: $2,000 and an exhibition space in Unley for **SALA** 2025.  
FINALISTS: Jiri Bruderhans, Peter Fitton, Rose Handke  
**Awarded to Peter Fitton**

**The Don Dunstan Foundation Award**  
PRIZE: $1,000  
FINALISTS – Mia Chaau Wa Fan, Catherine Nguyen-Hoang, Yasemin Sabuncu  
**Awarded to Mia Chaau Wa Fan**

**SALA Solo Photographic Opportunity**  
Opportunity to support an artist in presenting a solo photographic exhibition of new work in the 2025 **SALA **Festival.   
**Awarded to Tony Kearney**

**Country Arts SA Breaking Ground Award**  
**PRIZE: $10,000 and an o**pportunity to undertake a mentorship to develop a new body of work for praxis ARTSPACE during **SALA** Festival 2025.  
**Awarded to Susie Althorp**

**Guildhouse Artist’s Choice Award**  
**PRIZE: $1,000 and a 12 month Guildhouse Accredited Membership.**  
**Awarded to Claire Foord**

More information about all **SALA** exhibitions that are continuing can be found online at [www.sala](http://www.sala/)[festival.com](http://www.salafestival.com/) or by calling 7077 0011.

**Facebook:** [www.facebook.com/SALAFestival](http://www.facebook.com/SALAFestival) 

**Twitter & Instagram:** @SALAFestival Official hashtag: #SALAFestival