2018 SALA Festival Award Winners Announced

As the 2018 SALA Festival officially comes to an end, this year's award winners have been announced, with several newcomers as well as established artists sharing in the accolades.

It is estimated that more than 800,000 people attended SALA Festival this year, which also boasted a record 9000 participating artists taking part across 700 exhibitions and events.

Performance artist Kaspar Schmidt Mumm has taken out one of the major prizes, the Advertiser Contemporary Art Award worth $5000 for his work IMMI, a performance piece featuring artists, musicians and poets dressed in handmade costumes and masks.

The Adelaide Review Outsider Art Award which recognises art created outside the boundaries of the established art scene was won by artist Alana Gregory and her work "I'll Hear Waterfalls", which reflects the artist's connection to landscape and community.

Well known ceramicist Gerry Wedd has won the Don Dunstan Foundation Award for his work Songs for a Room, where more than 1000 handmade tiles and domestic objects were formed into an immersive installation, shining a light on the plight of homelessness. Tiles were available to be purchased with part proceeds donated to the Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless Persons.

Painter Ellie Kammer has won the Bluethumb People's Choice Award for her work Endometriosis (Volatility), a confronting and raw representation of Kammer's personal battle with the condition endometriosis.

See full list of award winners below.

SALA Festival Director Penny Griggs said it is the inclusive, open-access nature of SALA that sees so many South Australians continuing to engage with this cultural icon on the SA arts calendar.

"Congratulations to all the participating artists and venues the 21st SALA Festival has been another fabulous celebration of our local visual artists. Winter in South Australia is the perfect time to visit all the local established and temporary galleries around the state. Thank you to all the audiences who have come out to support the festival and in many instances add to their art collections. It's not too late to get to a few SALA festivals that continue into September."

Renowned sculptor Louise Haselton was this year named SALA Festival featured artist for 2019. Haselton's sculptural works showcase everyday items that come to life as she weaves them into her works.

As SALA's featured artist, Haselton's work will be on the cover of the 2019 South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival program and poster, and she will be commemorated in the official 2019 South Australian Living Artists Publication, funded by Arts South Australia, to be published by Wakefield Press and penned by local writers Jenna McKenzie, Gillian Brown, Leigh Robb and Becca Freezer (Emerging).

While SALA is officially finished today (August 31) several exhibitions will continue to be open including Impressions of Shandong and South Australia at SASA Gallery, and Best After at praxis ART SPACE in Bowden.

Visit the website and click "Open On" and the date 01 September 2018 and see all the exhibitions that remain open https://www.salafestival.com/artfuel/program

2018 SALA AWARDS - FULL LIST OF WINNERS AND FINALISTS

· The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award
$5000 cash for the most outstanding contemporary work in any medium
FINALISTS - Andrew Clarke, Carly Snoswell, Chris de Rosa, Elizabeth Wojciak, Emmaline Zanelli, Hannah Vorrath-Pajak, Jasmine Crisp, Jess Mara, Kasia Tons, Kaspar Schmidt Mumm, Kurt Bosecke, Michelle Kelly, Tim Sterling

WINNER - Kaspar Schmidt Mumm

· Adelaide Review Outsider Award
$1000 cash for an artist who identifies their work as "outsider": art created outside the boundaries of the established art scene.

FINALISTS - Alana Gregory, Jane Price, Scott Pyle

WINNER: Alana Gregory

· Centre for Creative Photography Latent Image Award
Up to $725 worth of in-kind assistance for an emerging artist using photography
FINALISTS - Brett Hughes, Monika Morgenstern, Stuart Templeton

WINNER: Brett Hughes

· City Rural Emerging Artist Award

$2,500 cash for an artist in the in the early stages of their career with under five years professional experience.

FINALISTS -Brianna Speight, eDuard Helmbold, Hannah Vorrath-Pajak, Kelly Reynolds

WINNER: Hannah Vorrath-Pajak

· The City of Unley Active Ageing Award

$2000 cash and an exhibition space in Unley for SALA 2019 for an artist over the age of 60.

FINALISTS - Andrea Malone, Chris Webb, Rubi Cassidy

WINNER: Chris Webb

· Don Dunstan Foundation Award
$2,500 cash for artists whose work explores social justice themes which align with the objectives and priorities of the Don Dunstan Foundation.

FINALISTS- Alex Mausolf, Clancy Warner, Gerry Wedd, Thom Buchanan

WINNER: Gerry Wedd

· Atkins Photographic Award

An edition of three giclee archival fine art prints for an artist working in photography

FINALISTS - Brianna Speight, David Hume, Emmaline Zanelli, Gary Sauer-Thompson

WINNER: Emmaline Zanelli

· Unitcare Services Moving Image Award
$5000 cash for an artist working in moving image or new media

FINALISTS - Cynthia Schwertsik, Jenna Pippett, Liam Bosecke, Sarah Tickle

WINNER: Cynthia Schwertsik

· Bluethumb People's Choice Award
$3000 cash for the artist voted people's choice on Bluethumb online Art Gallery.

WINNER: Ellie Kammer