New Prize to Showcase Contemporary Retellings of Historical Gold Story
Award to celebrate conceptual design excellence inspired by the State of Victoria Gold Jewellery Collection
Museums Victoria is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize, a new award recognising excellence and innovation in conceptual jewellery design.
The Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize offers a platform for jewellers and creative practitioners to push boundaries in jewellery design, craft and storytelling with an invitation to respond to the State of Victoria Gold Jewellery Collection.
The prize will be awarded in the following categories:
- Major Prize
- First Peoples Prize
- Emerging Prize
Winners in each of the three prize categories will receive a commission fee to transform their concept into a wearable piece that will be acquired into the Victorian State Collection on completion.
The State of Victoria Gold Jewellery Collection is one of the most significant public collections of Victorian goldfields jewellery. Comprising over 400 exquisite pieces made by more than 90 different jewellers between 1790 and 1980, it represents one of the most diverse collections of gold jewellery and accessories sourced and smithed from across Victoria.
The Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize places emphasis on the concept and narrative behind the jewellery and adornment pieces and encourages applicants to explore perspectives that are missing from the State of Victoria Gold Jewellery Collection – including those of First Peoples.
Museums Victoria CEO and Director Lynley Croswell said, “The prize has been established to enrich the State of Victoria Gold Jewellery Collection with contemporary perspectives on the Victorian gold story and showcase creative talent. The collection is extraordinarily rich and beautiful, but we hope to add pieces that discuss impacts on First Nations people, migrant communities, and the environment.”
Applications for the prize open on 12 May and close on 31 August 2025. Jewellers and creative practitioners from across the country are invited to submit their concepts for a contemporary jewellery or adornment piece. Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by an industry panel of judges from the fields of art, design and contemporary jewellery.
For more information, application guidelines and key dates, visit the Museums Victoria website.
Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize
Applications open: Monday 12 May – Sunday 31 August 2025
More information: online at Museums Victoria Gold Jewellery Acquisitive Prize - Museums Victoria
