AFTER a long delay, winners in the 2021 River of Art Prize have been announced.

Winner of the $2000 first prize was south coast painter, mosaics and printmaker, Geoffrey Odgers for his work “Burnt Offerings”, with runner-up Victoria Collins receiving $250 for “Sapling Forest in Crimson” and the highly commended prize of $100 going to Grace Paleg for “Kiss the Floor”.

The River of Art Prize Exhibition was rescheduled to January- February at the Narooma School of Art Gallery because of covid, but nonetheless 50 artists entered a total of 63 works from within and beyond the Eurobodalla region, with 22 final works selected.

Chair of the River of Art Festival, Leanne Joyce, praised the winners and the “very diverse exhibition from a highly talented and committed field”.

Judges were former head of the ANU School of Art and Design, Denise Ferris and Iain Dawson, director of the Bega Valley Region Gallery.

“We spent quite a while considering the final 22 entries from a very robust field and it was a difficult final decision”, Ferris said. “We feel that every work will find an appreciative audience and every entrant and their work matters.”

The final 22 works will hang at the Narooma School of Art studios until February 6 and available to view here riverofart.com.au

The 2022 River of Art Prize will open in August.