2026 Kate Derum and Irene Davies Awards

Name: 2026 Kate Derum and Irene Davies Awards
Start: 2026-10-28T17:30:00+1100
End: 2026-10-28T19:30:00+1100
Location: Australian Tapestry Workshop

Wed, 28 Oct, 5:30pm - 7:30pm AEDT

Australian Tapestry Workshop

South Melbourne VIC, Australia

Australian Tapestry Workshop

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Description

Join us for the 2026 Kate Derum and Irene Davies Awards exhibition opening and winner announcement, celebrating excellence in contemporary tapestry.

Held biennially, the awards celebrate contemporary tapestry and bring together artists working across the medium. This year, we received applications from artists across 22 countries, reflecting the breadth of contemporary tapestry today. The 2026 finalists offer a snapshot of the ideas, materials and approaches shaping the medium, from emerging perspectives to established practices.

Across five awards, the program recognises established and emerging artists, innovation in tapestry techniques and materials, excellence in craftsmanship, and the support of the wider tapestry community. The awards include the Kate Derum Award, Irene Davies Award, Chris Cochius Innovation Award, Brian Derum People’s Choice Award and Maker to Maker Award.

The 2026 judges are Rachel Arndt, Director of Wangaratta Art Gallery; Anna Dunnill, winner of the 2024 Kate Derum Award; Beck Jobson, GM/Head of Studio at ATW; and Ema Shin, 2026 Biennale of Sydney artist.

Join us to celebrate excellence in contemporary tapestry, connect with fellow weavers and tapestry enthusiasts, and discover the outstanding work of this year’s finalists and award winners.

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

Host information

Australian Tapestry Workshop

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The Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) is an international leader in contemporary tapestry, collaborating with a diverse range of international and Australian artists to produce exceptional handwoven works of art.

Established in 1976, we have created over 500 tapestries in creative collaborations for 50 years, promoting innovation and excellence in tapestry weaving and textile art. Located in Melbourne, Australia, our open studio space, bespoke dye lab and galleries are a creative hub for engagement with tapestry, textiles and contemporary art.

Internationally renowned for their vibrancy, technical accomplishment and inventive interpretation, our tapestries are hand woven using an adaptation of the traditional Gobelin technique; by which an image is formed by tightly packing layers of weft (horizontal threads) over warps (vertical threads).

We thrive on working with contemporary artists who seek to challenge our weavers and dyer by providing tapestry designs in various mediums including photography, painting, watercolour, collage and digital images.