This year, it has increased in value from $10,000 to $15,000, and the 2010 winner will be announced on Thursday 14 October. Although Mr Basil Sellers AM is overseas, his friend Mr Alan Cameron will present the prize while the founder of the prize, Mark Tronson, who now resides in Tweed Heads, is a guest.
Mark Tronson is chairman of Well-Being Australia, and established the Moruya athlete respite facility for Australian Institute of Sport athletes 'Basil Sellers House' (Timeout in Moruya) in 1992. The facility is named Basil Sellers Moruya, in honour of Mr Sellers financial support. It is located on a 10 acre allotment of an ironbark forest of bell miner 'bird song' which in 1996 became a tourist bush walk, 'Australia's Bush Orchestra'.
The Basil Sellers Art Centre was subsequently opened in 2003 with the financial support of Mr Sellers and with local support of the Moruya arts community and the Eurobodalla Shire Council, who in turn provided every help in seeing the inaugural art prize come to fruition.
There is an 'official' pre-award viewing on the afternoon of the 14 October followed by the public presentation, and then a Shire dinner with local dignitaries.
The community looks forward to seeing the winner's painting, which will assuredly be up to the same high standard as the previous three winning art works (2004, 2006 and 2008).
