MEG Hof’s acrylic work “A Capital Scene”  has taken out the People’s Choice Award in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Art Award.

The  award is valued at $500 and was judged by the public over the duration of the exhibition which concluded on Friday . With over 156 votes tallied, Hof’s work was the clear winner.

As a first time contributor, Hof said she was pleasantly surprised by the win, describing it as “super exciting because I have never entered a competition before and put myself out there like this.” She said her winning artwork had drawn inspiration from the place she lives, her love of the Bush Capital and the surrounding region. She plans to continue working on private commissions, but says the award prize will go to “making the studio a little bit cosier with a new heater.”

Joining Hof as other winners for 2016 were Sally Simpson, winner of the Overall Regional Art Award for ‘Objects for an Unknown Future Museum’; Highly Commended winner Sharon Field for ‘Landscape II: Over endless plains, stumbling in cracked earth’ and Leah-Kate Hannaford who won the Form Studio & Gallery Award for Professional Practice for her work ‘A Closer Look’.

“It has been an exceptional exhibition for the region and certainly shows the abundance of talent found in the area,” said Georgina Perri, Cultural Development Officer at Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.