Perth artist Sam Bloor has been named winner of the 2025 Invitation Art Prize – the City of Joondalup’s most prestigious visual arts competition.
The announcement was made at the launch of the exhibition, which also saw the official opening of the event’s location – the new Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery on Boas Avenue, Joondalup.
Mr Bloor received $25,000 in prize money for his artwork, titled Chance Encounter. The City will also acquire the artwork for its art collection.
Mr Bloor has exhibited in a number of group and solo shows both nationally and internationally including: Totem In Tribute (2016) in Edinburgh, UK; the Fremantle Biennale (2019/23); and Rotterdam Photo Festival (2019), NL.
He was commissioned to produce a major public work as part of the 2022 Perth Festival, has won multiple awards, including the Fremantle Print Award (2019) and the Rockingham Art Award (2024), and his work has been acquired by private, public and institutional collections including the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Judges Helen Carroll, Glenn Iseger-Pilkington and Abigail Moncrieff said: “Sam Bloor's poetic and cinematic installation invites repeat viewing. Comprised of individual components this assemblage is both timeless, as well as marking this particular moment in time. The work has a site specificity, responding to the gallery's infrastructure, bringing a moment of levity into a work that resonates with nostalgia."
“Chance encounters, mystery chats and elements of the unknown frame the experience of the work, which invites participation from audiences as collaborators, tapping into our need for connection to each other."
“Within the context of the Joondalup Collection the work will evolve and shift in its meaning over time, for audiences now and into the future. The work will always have a connection to Joondalup, made for this prize and relating to, and embedded into this place.”
The 2025 Invitation Art Prize attracted 142 entries, and from that competitive field, 10 outstanding artists were selected by an esteemed panel whose expertise and discernment ensured the exhibition reflected the highest standards of artistic practice:
- Abdul Abdullah, Australian multi-disciplinary artist
- Carly Lane, Curator Indigenous Art, Art Gallery of Western Australia; and
- Katherine Wilkinson, Program Director, Fremantle Biennale.
The shortlisted artists – Tom Blake, Sam Bloor, Bruno Booth, Erin Coates, Sarah Elson, Tim Meakins, Sherry Quiambao, Andy Quilty, Anna Louise Richardson, and Tyrown Waigana – represented a rich cross-section of contemporary art.
City of Joondalup CEO James Pearson said the Invitation Art Prize has long been a highlight of the City’s cultural calendar.
“It is a celebration of Western Australia’s professional visual arts community, and a reflection of Joondalup’s commitment to supporting and showcasing artistic excellence,” Mr Pearson said.
“Exhibiting artists’ practices span drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, jewellery, animation, photography, and film."
“Each artist has been commissioned to produce a new body of work, and the results are bold, thoughtful, and deeply engaging."
“In 2025 we are proud to present the Invitation Art Prize in one of Perth’s newest cultural destinations, the Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery."
Since the Invitation Art Prize was launched in 1998, it has supported over 700 high-calibre artists working across different practices, career stages and lived experiences.
Mr Bloor’s winning piece will now become part of the City of Joondalup’s permanent art collection, joining works by past Invitation Art Prize recipients.
The Invitation Art Prize exhibition opens on Thursday 16 October and runs until Saturday 13 December 2025 at the Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery. Entry is free, and the gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 10am-4pm.
Members of the public can vote for their favourite artwork in the Popular Choice Award whilst visiting the exhibition. The winner – to be announced after the exhibition closes in December – will receive a cash prize of $500.
For updates and other arts opportunities, sign up to the Arts in Focus eNewsletter at joondalup.wa.gov.au/enews-signup.
