Applications are now open for the 2026 Eloquence prize, a national public speaking challenge for art history students across Australia.
The Eloquence Art Prize is an annual national public speaking challenge open to students from participating universities across Australia. It rewards the best art talk on French and Australian cultural ties. The theme is specific and different each year.
The 2026 theme is "Art and Environment, France and Australia: Our forests and trees in danger". Students are invited to give a presentation comparing two artists, one Australian and one French, and analyse how a sensibility to nature has impacted their artworks, focusing on the theme of "our forests and trees" from the 19th century to the present.
Applications open
The Prize winner is selected via a three-stage process:
- In Stage 1, applicants will submit to their University a 400-word "Summary Paper", outlining a proposed 7-minute talk addressing the Prize theme. At each University, a panel will review these and select three short-listed applicants.
- In Stage 2, the short-listed applicants will submit a recording of their complete 7-minute talk, and from these the panels will each select a single representative for their University.
- In Stage 3, the representatives from all participating Universities will compete for the final prize, delivering their talks live (or, if not possible, via their recordings).
University of Sydney students are invited to apply for Stage 1 of the process by submitting a 400-word summary of a proposed 7-minute talk addressing the prize theme. Follow the link on this page to apply. Applications are due by 31 May 2026, 11:59pm.
Prizes
A one-month trip to Paris at Les Recollets (international centre for academics, searchers and artists, and two weeks at the Ecole du Louvre Summer School.
Mentoring sessions in Australia with the jury, composed of leading art professionals, and French lessons with Alliances Francaises.
Internship leading to a publication in VAULT magazine.
Internship leading to a publication in ISFAR online newsletter and in The French Australian Review.
The Eloquence Art Prize is an initiative of Culture Plus*.