Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize

The Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize is a new national initiative honouring creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation in Australian gold jewellery. Launched in 2025, this biennial prize invites entries from contemporary jewellers across the country who work with gold as a significant material in their practice.

The winning work will be acquired into the State Collection and become part of Museums Victoria’s renowned decorative arts holdings, which are housed at Melbourne Museum. The prize not only supports the career of the winning artist with a $10,000 acquisitive award, but also highlights the importance of gold in Australia’s cultural and geological history—acknowledging both traditional and contemporary interpretations of this precious metal.

Finalists’ work will be showcased in a public exhibition at Melbourne Museum, allowing audiences to explore the diversity and vitality of current Australian gold jewellery design. The prize aims to encourage dialogue between artists, industry professionals, collectors, and the broader public, and to position goldsmithing within a national narrative of art and design excellence.

Entries are open to all Australian residents, and submissions are assessed by a panel of expert judges from the fields of jewellery, design, and curation.

Date: Entries open 6 May 2025; submissions close 30 June 2025