Celebrating Young Creativity: The Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists
For more than two decades, the Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists has stood as one of Western Australia’s most treasured celebrations of children’s creativity. Initiated by the City of Subiaco and proudly run by Subiaco Library, this prestigious annual art award recognises and nurtures the imagination of school-aged artists from across the state.
Established in 2003, the competition was created to celebrate the originality, innovation, and creativity of young people from Year 1 through to Year 12. What began with around 700 entries has grown remarkably over 23 years, now attracting more than double that number each year. Notably, a significant percentage of entries now come from regional Western Australia, reflecting the award’s broad reach and growing impact beyond metropolitan areas.
Entries of the 2025 Shaun Tan Art Awards exhibited at the Subiaco Library
Named after internationally acclaimed Perth-born author and illustrator Shaun Tan, the award focuses on two-dimensional visual art. Shaun Tan is widely known for his evocative works such as The Lost Thing and The Arrival, stories that blend subtle emotional depth with striking imagery. Two of his murals housed at Subiaco Library—The Tea Party and The 100 Year Picnic. These works serve as a daily inspiration for visitors, reinforcing the importance of storytelling and artistic curiosity.
“The main thing you need to do is draw and draw and paint and paint and figure it out for yourselves — the real learning happens on your own”
– Shaun Tan
More than just a competition, the Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists is a celebration of youthful imagination, a platform for creative voices, and a reminder that great art can begin at any age. Through its continued growth and community support, the award plays a vital role in shaping the next generation of Western Australian artists.
“…really what this award is about [is] the ability for young people who often don’t have the facility to share their original pieces with an audience in an exhibition easily, outside of their family or school, to then show it in a public space such as the library... you’d be hard pressed to find any art show [with] this much diversity of subject and style and sheer energy”
– Shaun Tan
Each year, a selection of the most outstanding artworks is showcased in a month-long public exhibition at Subiaco Library.
Entries of the 2025 Shaun Tan Art Awards exhibited at the Subiaco Library
Jacksons has been a proud supporter of the Shaun Tan Art Awards since 2008. We are passionate about supporting young West Australian talent and we look forward to seeing the entries!
Shaun Tan Art Award Entry
The competition is carefully judged across five age-based categories:
• Lower primary (Years 1–2)
• Middle primary (Years 3–4)
• Upper primary (Years 5–6)
• Lower secondary (Years 7–9)
• Upper secondary (Years 10–12)
Entries for the 2026 awards will open 9.30am on Friday 24 April 2026 so this is a great activity to get your kids on for the school holidays! More information can be found here:
