MEDIA RELEASE
International Steampunk Art Prize Goes Global With AUD $2,000 Prize Pool
Free worldwide competition invites artists and makers to submit everything from painting and photography to costumes, props, models and working mechanical creations.
Steampunk Australia has opened the International Steampunk Art Prize 2026 to artists and makers around the world, with AUD $2,000 in prize money, free entry and a judging panel spanning art, history, literature, performance and creative industry.
Entries are open to people aged 18 and over wherever local law permits, with submissions closing at 11.59pm Sydney time on 30 November 2026.
Entrants may submit up to three works.
And despite the word “art” in the title, this is not simply a competition for paintings hanging on a wall.
Eligible work includes painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, non-generative digital art, costume design, leatherwork, prop making, model making, mixed media, kinetic art, mechanical art and audiovisual work.
Costumes, sculptures, models and working contraptions can ordinarily be entered using high-quality photographs and, where appropriate, video. Physical works should not be sent unless specifically requested by the organiser.
Every entry must have a meaningful connection to steampunk.
Four judges from very different creative worlds
The 2026 judging panel brings together four people with very different backgrounds:
Dr Kathryn Spurling — historian and author.
Professor Elemental — British steampunk performer, musician and writer.
G. D. Falksen — internationally published author and prominent voice within the steampunk community.
Lisa McGuigan — Australian winemaker, creative entrepreneur and founder of Lisa McGuigan Wines.
The Judges’ Grand Prize is worth AUD $1,500, with the winner receiving the title International Steampunk Artist of the Year 2026.
A further AUD $500 People’s Choice Prize will be decided through public voting.
Under the competition rules, the same artwork may win both prizes.
The top finalists will also be featured in an online exhibition through Steampunk Australia.
Made by humans
One unusual condition of the competition is that AI-generated and AI-assisted artwork is not eligible.
Entrants are required to declare that generative AI was not used in creating their submitted work, and Steampunk Australia encourages artists to retain photographs or other records showing their work in progress.
The intention is not to turn the competition into an argument about technology, but to provide a space specifically celebrating work conceived and created by people.
“Steampunk has always been about imagination — taking ideas from the past, pulling them apart and creating something that never existed. We want to see what people can make.”
From Australia to the world
The international prize follows an earlier Australian-only Steampunk Australia Art Competition.
Rather than continue restricting the competition geographically, Steampunk Australia has opened the new prize to eligible creators worldwide.
The result is deliberately broad: professional artists can enter alongside hobbyists, makers, costumers, photographers, prop builders and people creating their first serious piece of steampunk work.
There is no entry fee.
Public voting is scheduled to run from 7 December 2026 until 24 January 2027, with finalists expected to be announced in early February and winners announced shortly afterwards.
Enter the International Steampunk Art Prize 2026
Competition information:
https://steampunk.au/competition/
Enter online:
https://steampunk.au/competition/enter
Full terms and conditions:
https://steampunk.au/competition/terms-and-conditions.html
Entries close 30 November 2026 at 11.59pm Sydney time.
MEDIA INFORMATION
International Steampunk Art Prize 2026
Presented by Steampunk Australia
Prize pool: AUD $2,000
Entry: Free
Eligibility: Artists and makers aged 18+ worldwide, where permitted
Entries close: 30 November 2026
Website: steampunk.au
Media enquiries:
Steampunk Australia
steampunkau2026@gmail.com