The Dampier Community Association (DCA) has been proudly presenting the Dampier Art Awards since their humble beginnings in 2010. Whilst celebrating local talent, these Awards also aim to encourage and support our new, emerging and established artists to pursue art and build their artistic confidence. This annual event has developed to become an anticipated fixture on the local community arts calendar, each year proving more popular than the last. With eight different artwork categories to choose from, entry is open exclusively to adults, and youth aged between 14-18, residing within the City of Karratha Local Government area.

A different theme is chosen for each Dampier Art Awards, encouraging local artists to create visual works that will intrigue their audience. Often Pilbara based, past themes have included: By the Sea; From Little Things Big Things Grow; Colour My Life; Home is Where the Heart is; Ancient Land, Changing Town; Under the Sun; Red Hot Town; 2020 Vision; The Other Side; A Moment in Time; Pure; No Boundaries and Form.

For the 2026 Dampier Art Awards, our theme Diamond in the Rough celebrates the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. It speaks to raw potential, quiet resilience, and the beauty that exists before it is polished or refined. A diamond begins as something unassuming - shaped by pressure, time and persistence - and this theme invites artists to explore those same ideas in their work. It could be the rugged textures of the landscape, an overlooked corner of community life, a story of growth and transformation, or the strength found in imperfection. It might shimmer through contrast and light, or reveal itself subtly through layered meaning and depth. We encourage artists to dig beneath the surface, to embrace grit as much as glamour, and to uncover brilliance in unexpected places.

Our judge this year is Chelsea Mcauliffe, an accomplished abstract artist based in Geraldton and a proud former Karratha local. Well known for her expressive and emotive works, she has become a familiar and celebrated name within the Dampier Art Awards. Chelsea is a multi-award winner of our grassroots exhibition, taking out the Theme Award for the past three consecutive years, along with numerous other accolades since the Awards began in 2010. Our judge has the unenviable task of choosing the winner and highly commended for each of the eight artwork categories. A People’s Choice Award will be decided by a public vote, open to visitors to the Main Exhibition, or via the online Virtual Art Awards.

Last year’s event received almost 100 pieces submitted by 74 different local artists, with an amazing standard of work once again. Although it is not a requirement to offer work for sale, over a third  of the 84 available pieces were sold. The two-week Main Exhibition flowed through both the Lesser and Main Community Halls, receiving nearly 400 visitors. This was followed by a Winners Exhibition at the Dampier Community Hub foyer. An online Virtual Art Awards extended the reach of this event to those who could not visit in person, with over 1500 people able to watch the video, view the artwork gallery and vote for their favourite piece in the People’s Choice Award.

The Dampier Art Awards are an important local grass roots cultural event. To enable us to manage this event, from inception to exhibition, the DCA relies heavily on support from our community members, local business sponsors and our major sponsor, the City of Karratha. For this year’s event we are once again grateful for the support of our artists, judge, volunteers, visitors and many sponsors, who all contribute to making the Dampier Art Awards the highly anticipated and successful local art exhibition that it is.