Northern Beaches Council is pleased to announce the 6 artists who have won this year's Artists’ Book Award.

This biennial competition, curated by Northern Beaches Library Service, received an impressive 119 entries from artists across Australia and around the world, including New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

From these entries, the judges, Australian artists Wendy Sharpe and Ben Rak, selected 46 books for the accompanying 2025 Artists’ Book Award exhibition, featuring the 6 outstanding overall winners.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins expressed her admiration for the artists and their work.

“The Artists’ Book Award is a celebration of creativity and innovation.

“It is inspiring to see how artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines come together to explore the concept of a book in such unique and imaginative ways.

We are proud to support and showcase their incredible talent,” Mayor Heins said.

Using the form or function of a 'book' as their inspiration, artists explored a wide range of themes such as flora and fauna, consumerism, travel, and the exploration of colour and shape. The entries showcased artistic mediums including watercolour, sculpture, painting, drawing, cyanotype, and collage.

2025 Artists’ Book Award Winners:
Peter Ward: Chokindust Lane, 2024
Bernard Appassamy: Between Body and Memory, 2023
Pam Slattery: The Little Book of Australian Rainforest Birds, 2024
Lisa Sewards: Ocean Murmurs [unique state], 2023
Jude Hungerford: The Science of Love + Loss, 2024
Haein Song: Whole, 2023

The 6 winning Artists’ Books will be acquired by the Northern Beaches Library Service as part of its permanent Artists’ Book collection, ensuring that these works are preserved and accessible to the community for years to come.

2025 Artists’ Book Award Exhibition 
Location: Manly Creative Library
Dates: Saturday 5 April to Sunday 27 April 2025

For further information, visit website

Images:  High-res images can be provided