The Competition

The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize is an acquisitive prize. The South Australian Museum retains the overall winning piece as part of the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize collection. The overall winner and winning artists in each category are awarded prize money. There are also prizes for the People's Choice Award and the Dr Wendy Wickes Memoriam Prize, selected by visitors to the exhibition.

For rules, terms & conditions of the competition, see the Rules.

The Exhibition

The exhibition of winners and finalists in The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize is shown each year at the South Australian Museum. It will run from 20 July to 8 September 2013. For exhibition details, see the South Australian Museum website.

Winning and highly commended entries tour to the National Archives of Australia from September to November each year.

The Judges

Professor Don Bursill AM, FTSE, Chief Scientist for South Australia
James Darling, Artist, farmer and conservationist
Dr Petra Kayser, Curator, Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Victoria
David O’Connor, Manager, Exhibitions and Public Programs, Art Gallery of South Australia
Melinda Rankin, Director, Murray Bridge Regional Gallery
Peter Walker, Director, Peter Walker Fine Art
Ken Orchard, Artist
Dr Richard Dunlop, Artist
Silvio Apponyi, Artist
Rita Hall, Artist

Dr Wendy Wickes Memoriam Prize

The Dr Wendy Wickes Memoriam Prize for excellence in science communication in art was announced in 2012. The $5,000 annual award is for a finalist artist in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, who has been judged as part of the People’s Choice to have communicated the most significant scientific message within the spirit of the competition. The award is designed to formally recognise the underlying scientific and environmental messages behind the visual art displayed in the exhibition and to encourage artists to explore that philosophy.

Frederick George Waterhouse

Frederick Waterhouse was the first Curator of the South Australian Museum. He was born 25 August 1815 near London and worked at the British Museum as a zoologist. Waterhouse was an avid collector of Australia's fauna accompanying John McDouall Stuart across the Australian continent in 1861 to collect and document its fauna.

Waterhouse collected insects, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants. He discovered 40 new species of fish off the South Australian coastline. He died on 7 September 1898 and was buried at Magill. He had five sons and one daughter. His great, great grandson is Dr Andrew Thomas, Australia's only Astronaut and Cosmonaut. A river in the Northern Territory and several natural history species commemorate the Waterhouse name.