Tim Meakins and Erin Coates have been announced as joint Popular Choice Award winners of the City of Joondalup’s 2025 Invitation Art Prize.
Voted for by visitors to the exhibition, the Popular Choice Award celebrates the artworks that resonated most strongly with audiences. The winners have just been announced following the exhibition’s close in December, with each artist receiving a $500 cash prize.
Tim Meakins was recognised for his work Off Lead, a joyful reflection on canine companionship and shared movement. Featuring hand-drawn dogs running together, the piece captures a sense of energy, connection and everyday togetherness, inviting viewers to spot familiar pets and neighbourhood characters within the scene.
Erin Coates was also named a Popular Choice Winner for her sculptural works The End and The Beginning, Lifespan, and The Shell Diver, which explore family histories, relationships between humans and animals and the ways our environment shapes memory and connection.
Visitors praised the exhibition, enjoying the quality of the curation and the opportunity to explore works in the new Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery.
Since its launch in 1998, the Invitation Art Prize has supported more than 700 artists working across diverse practices, career stages and life experiences.
Sam Bloor was named the overall winner of the 2025 Invitation Art Prize, receiving $25,000 for his artwork Chance Encounter, which will be acquired into the City of Joondalup’s permanent art collection.
The 2025 Invitation Art Prize attracted 142 entries, with 10 artists selected for exhibition at the Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery, held from Thursday 16 October to Saturday 13 December 2025.
For updates and other arts opportunities, sign up for the Arts in Focus eNewsletter at joondalup.wa.gov.au/enews-signup.
Pictured: Tim Meakins, winner of the Popular Choice award alongside his work Off Lead & The End and The Beginning by Erin Coates, winner of the Popular Choice Award.