THE WATERHOUSE Natural Science Art Prize has always been one of “Citynews’s” favourite arts events, about as far from ‘art for art’s sake’ as you can get.

With its unique focus on scientific and environmental, it has nevertheless drawn in some of Australia’s top artists over the years.

Emanating from the South Australian Museum, it was founded in 2002  in honour of the late   Frederick George Waterhouse, an eminent zoologist at the British Museum before becoming the first curator of the SA Museum.

Its format has changed over the years and after a two year absence (last year’s touring show was just a retrospective selection of works) it’s back, bigger and better. The National Archives are always the only location outside of Adelaide to host the winning works.

Canberra artists have usually punched above their weight in the Waterhouse and this year they’re particularly strong, with no fewer than four locals on  show in the best-of-the-bunch exhibition still running at the Archives until mid-November.

We caught up with Katrina Nitschke, Head of Public Engagement at SA Museum, while she was in town, and  heard how   the process of consultation had led to the introduction of an emerging artists prize and also how surveys had led to the engagement of some of the country’s leading scientists, who now oversee their own prizes too.

Ms Nitschke introduced us to the winner of the $30,000 open category, the work “Neapolitan bonbonaparte” by Julia deVille, described by the artist as “a comment on industrialised animal agriculture” and featuring, controversially, real chicks.

Both the People’s Choice and the Scientists Choice Award, each worth $5000, categories were won by Bega NSW artist Ulan Murray with “Arbor Sole,” which he said reflected “the environmental system that relies on a delicate balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen.”

It came as no surprise to us that Canberra artist Dan Power won the new $10,000 Emerging Category with his piece G[RAZED], a work of pen and ink inscribed delicately on a real bull skull. Power says in comment, “overgrazing and agricultural land clearing a road habitat complexity and, with it, species diversity.”

As well, no fewer than three glass artists from the ACT region, Emilie Patteson, Jenny Kemarre Martiniello and Elizabeth Kelly, received ‘highly commendeds’ among the 25 finalists.

The prize is an opportunity for artists like Martiniello to develop their work, and her  set of two vase-like shapes representing the natural landscape of Parachilna in the Flinders Ranges is a departure that she has based on memories from her childhood of that region, well before she became a Canberran.

The very pleased director-general of the National Archives, David Fricker, says, “this is certainly one of the most popular exhibitions we host, encouraging artists to portray the scientific and environmental issues facing our planet.”

The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, at the National Archives of Australia, Queen Victoria Terrace Parks, until November 13, daily, FREE.