Olive Cotton Award
A $20,000 Biennial Award for Excellence in Photographic Portraiture
Background
The Olive Cotton Award began in 2005 as an annual award for excellence in photographic portraiture offering a $10,000 acquisitive major prize, funded by Cotton’s family in memory of “one of Australia's leading twentieth century photographers” (Art Gallery NSW, 2000). 2009 marked the change of the Award from annual to biennial starting in 2011. Consequently the major prize doubled to $20,000 and the Director’s Choice purchase awards, sponsored by the Friends of the Tweed River Art Gallery, doubled to $4,000. The winning and purchased works join the Tweed River Art Gallery’s “Australian Portrait Collection”.
For the duration of the exhibition, Gallery visitors have the opportunity to cast their vote in The Friends of the Gallery’s People’s Choice Award with the winning photographer receiving a $250 prize.
The exhibition is selected from entrants across Australia and is a significant opportunity for both emerging and established photographers. Photographer Sally McInerney, daughter of Olive Cotton, was the inaugural judge. Previous Winners have been:
Richard O’Farrell 2009 Judge Dean Sewell
Emily Portmann 2008 Judge Rex Dupain
George Fetting 2007 Judge Richard Moore
Siri Hayes 2006 Judge Dr Gene Sherman
Ella Dreyfus 2005 Judge Sally McInerney
Further information regarding past awards can be found by clicking on the menu items to the left of the screen. Enquiries should be directed to Anouk Beck  anoukb@tweed.nsw.gov.au or  02 6670 2790.
A short biography of Olive Cotton
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Olive Cotton (1943)
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Adapted from information provided by Sally McInerney, May 2005.
Olive Cotton (1911-2003) discovered the art of photography in childhood and stayed committed to it all her life. Her mother was a talented painter who died young; her father, a geologist, had learnt the elements of photography for his journey to the Antarctic in 1907 and later taught it to his children.
Having graduated with an Arts degree, Olive Cotton worked successfully as a photographer at the Dupain studios in Sydney until the end of World War 2, then moved with her new husband Ross McInerney, to the bush near Koorawatha, NSW. For 20 years she had no access to darkroom facilities, but kept taking photographs.
In 1964 Cotton opened a small studio in Cowra and took local portraits, weddings and commissions. After a 40 year absence from the city art scene she re-emerged in 1985 with her first solo show at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney, she then concentrated on rediscovering and printing her life's work.
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