Arts and media come together with environment, history and heritage in the competition for the 2005 Australia Council media arts award.

This year sees three outstanding partnerships from Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales compete for the award, with the winner to be announced at the Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) Awards Dinner in Sydney on Thursday 28 July 2005.

The Australia Council is a major partner of the AbaF awards and sponsors the Media Arts Award to honour media and arts organisations working together — using innovation and creativity — to engage more Australians with the arts.

Finalists for the 2005 Australia Council Media Arts Award are:

The Examiner, Tasmanian Perpetual Trustees & Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Ten Days on the Island
Visitors to Launceston’s Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in early 2005 were not only treated to a major exhibition by French Masters from The MusÈe LÈon Dierx — but also received a free handy exhibition guide.

This was thanks to a media arts partnership between The Examiner newspaper; Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery; Tasmania?s biennial arts festival, Ten Days on the Island and exhibition sponsor, Perpetual Trustees.

As well as producing the exhibition guide, this partnership saw the exhibition promoted throughout Tasmania via The Examiner — with great results. Over 500 people per day visited the French Masters from The MusÈe LÈon Dierx exhibition.

GOA Billboards & Riverfestival Brisbane
An art competition was used to promote water conservation and environmental sustainability in this partnership from GOA Billboards and Brisbane’s Riverfestival.

School students from across Brisbane worked with artists and teachers to develop creative billboards featuring environmental slogans in the lead up to Riverclean — part of the Brisbane RiverFestival.

These creative billboards were entered to an art competition with works by selected young artists displayed on prominent GOA billboard sites around Brisbane for an entire month.

This innovative partnership has run since 2003 and is set to continue for this year?s RiverFestival.

Nationwide News (The Daily Telegraph) & Historic Houses Trust of NSW
The many amazing changes that have shaped Sydney?s landscape over 70 years were shown at Museum of Sydney in 2004 ? seen through the eyes of acclaimed photographers Rex and Max Dupain.

This was the first time the work of Max Dupain was exhibited together with that of his son Rex.

The Daily Telegraph with Historic Houses Trust of NSW supported this successful well-attended exhibition.