Two talented Year 12 students from the Northern Beaches have been named joint winners of this year’s Theo Batten Youth Art Award, sharing a prize pool of $5,000 to support their future tertiary arts education.
Jennifer Choi from NBSC Manly Campus and Arta Dehghan from Killarney Heights High School each received $2,000 for their exceptional works displayed in the Out Front 2026 exhibition at Manly Art Gallery & Museum.
Choi’s winning piece, titled Virtual Daydreams, is an acrylic painting on canvas, whilst Dehghan was recognised for Facades, a graphite pencil drawing.
The awards were presented as part of the annual exhibition showcasing HSC Visual Arts works from 21 local secondary schools across Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
St Luke’s Grammar School student Olivia Sammut received a Highly Commended award and $1,000 for her work Homesick: A Severance, created using oil paint and oil pastel on canvas.
Local artist Amber Boardman, who served as judge for this year’s awards, selected the winners from ten remarkable artworks featured in the exhibition.
In her comments, Boardman explained her selection was based on works that demonstrated both technical skill and an unexpected element that went beyond technique.
She described Dehghan’s Facades as creating “strange cavernous spaces within three small graphite drawings”, whilst Choi’s Virtual Daydreams was praised for its composition with bright tones that captured “the overwhelm of our shared digital lives”.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins congratulated the winners and acknowledged the high standard of work on display.
The Out Front 2026 exhibition features 25 works from HSC Visual Arts students and will remain on display at Manly Art Gallery & Museum until 5 April 2025.
Visitors to the gallery can also participate by voting for their favourite artwork in the KALOF People’s Choice Award.
The Theo Batten Youth Art Award honours the legacy of former local artist and journalist Theo Batten (1918-2003), who was a Walkley Award winner and active supporter of the arts community. The award was established to help young artists further their creative education.
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with free entry. The gallery is located at West Esplanade Reserve, Manly.
For more information about the exhibition and awards, visit the Northern Beaches Council website.
Published 20-February-2026
