2018 ANL Maritime Art Prize

This year’s ANL Maritime Art Prize has been awarded to Joni Dennis for her innovative work “Aye Aye Captain”, depicting the tenacious women sea captains in charge of container ships.

“I was inspired by the strength of the women, their ambition and their relationship to the seas, which at times must be challenging,” said Joni, who has entered the art prize for 10 consecutive years.

The ANL Maritime Art Prize was awarded on October 4 at the Mission to Seafarers, Flinders St, Docklands.

The awards were presented in four categories with a total prize pool of $26,000.

The Neville & Co Runner Up Award was presented to Robert J Williams for Rust In Peace, a watercolour portrayal of HMAS Cerberus, sunk as a breakwater in Half Moon Bay in 1924.

Mr Williams won last year’s Best Traditional Award for his work Telegraph.

This year, the Best Traditional was awarded to David Rowe for The Naval Mechanic. The oil painting was a break away from his usual practice as a political cartoonist for the Australian Financial Review.

The DP World Emerging Artist was awarded to Ben Tankarf for Unpopular Penguin 286. The piece is an interpretation of the Penguin cover of The Odyssey – the mythical journey of Greek hero Odysseus through the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The exhibition featured 86 finalists drawn from more than 330 entries, stretching over a broad range of subjects and techniques – from traditional watercolour to collage and illustration.

The opening night brought together 250 guests – an intersection of maritime artists, award sponsors and representatives from the shipping industry, art buyers, philanthropists and other supporters.

The People’s Choice Award was jointly won by Donna Gibbs and Jenny Laidlaw.