What is an Artists' Book?
An Artists' Book is a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of the “book” as inspiration. Artists’ books embrace a range of approaches often experimenting with different materials to offer new ideas and interpretations of the world.
Artists’ Book Award
Manly Library launched the first Artists’ Book Award in 2011 with grant funding from the Library Council of New South Wales. This award is now hosted by the Northern Beaches Library Service every two years and attracts entries from around the world. Books are selected from the entries to form an exhibition. From the exhibited books, judges select books to be acquired and added to our library collection.
The 2025 Artists' Book Award is open for submissions, closing 16 December 2024. Join the email list, send a message to ArtistBookAward@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
Our collection
The 100 plus artists’ books in the Northern Beaches Library collection are listed in our Library Catalogue. A selection of the collection is displayed at different library branches throughout the year.
For further enquiries about the collection, please contact us.
Our 2023 Acquisitions
The 2023 acquisitions were announced by judges Ben Brown and Katherine Roberts on Thursday 2nd March 2023 at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum.
| Laura Castell (QLD) | 'WE ALL' | 2022 | $650 |
| Viola Dominello (NSW) | ‘Sea Horses of Manly’ | 2022 | $1000 |
| Caren Florance (ACT) | ‘C:/Ovid’ | 2022 | $500 |
| Jeff Gardner (VIC) | ‘Lucy the Dragon’ | 2022 | $1750 |
| Kim Herringe (QLD) | ‘Sky dancers’ | 2021 | $230 |
| Jude Hungerford (NSW) | ‘[MIND]SCAPE’ | 2021 | $460 |
| Fran Ifould (NSW) | ‘Homage to a New Dawn’ | 2022 | $1650 |
| Roslyn Kean (NSW) | 'Crossings' | 2022 | $500 |
| Margaret Manchee (VIC) | 'The Wheel' | 2022 | $396 |
| Karen Neal (VIC) | 'Australian Magpie' | 2021 | $600 |
| Glenda Orr and Kathy Boyle (AUS/NZ) | 'Exquisite Causes' | 2022 | $1990 |
| Kat Parker (VIC) | 'The Tragic Tale of the Bramble Cay Melomys' | 2022 | $240 |
Our 2021 Acquisitions
The 2021 acquisitions were announced by judges Ross Heathcote and Anthea Boesenberg on Saturday 20th February 2021 at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum.
| Caren Florance (ACT) | 'L OO P' | 2019 | $450 |
| Sally Mayman (NSW) | ‘Embrace’ | 2020 | $860 |
| Barbara Schmelzer (NSW) | ‘Blake’s Delay’ | 2019 | $2700 |
| Haein Song (UK) | ‘Pain Memory’ | 2019 | $2,750 |
| Peter Ward (NSW) | ‘Caravan of Despair’ | 2020 | $1500 |
| Kylie Watson (VIC) | ‘Come to Me’ | 2020 | $1500 |
| Aliki Yiorkas (NSW) | ‘Silk’ | 2019 | $350 |
Our 2019 Acquisitions
The 2019 acquisitions were announced by judges Geoff Harvey and Katherine Roberts on Thursday 2 May 2019 at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum.
| Bernard Appassamy (NSW) | '2,422 Haircuts' | 2019 | $1500 |
| Hannah Caprice (VIC) | 'Animalgamations' | 2018 | $800 |
| Josephine Duffy (NSW) | 'Postcards from the edges: from Sydney and Cork to Santander | 2018 | $1650 |
| Salvatore Gerardi (NSW) | 'Coastal Lagoon' | 2019 | $2,200 |
| Monica Oppen (NSW) | 'All Human Beings' | 2019 | $500 |
| Wendy Sharpe (NSW) | 'Moroccan Scroll' | 2019 | $3000 |
| Sandra Williams (NSW) | 'Life in the Splash Zone' | 2019 | $200 |
| Lindy Yates (VIC) | 'Draw the line' | 2018 | $400 |
Our 2017 Acquisitions
The 2017 acquisitions were announced by judges Ben Rak and Michael Hedger on 30 March at the Creative Space.
| Guy Begbie (Wales, UK) | ‘Brisbane Dérive’ (Route 9) | 2016 | $1500 |
| Gregory Day & Jiri Tibor Novak (VIC) | ‘A Smile at Arm’s Length’ | 2016 | $2800 |
| Nicci Haynes (ACT) | ‘…in my drawing costume…’ | 2015 | $1650 |
| Gita Mammen (VIC) | ‘Feverfew’ | 2014 | $1,200 |
| Alan Purdom (NSW) | ‘Silence’ | 2017 | $950 |
| Bronwyn Rees and Elizabeth Banfield (VIC) | ‘A Different Path’ | 2015 | $1200 |
| Michaela Stoneman (NZ) | ‘The Menagerie’ | 2016 | $900 |
Our 2015 Acquisitions
| Helen Malone and Jack Oudyn | ‘Chance’ | 2014 | $500 |
| Rob Kovitz | ‘According to Plan’ | 2014 | $65 |
| Caren Florance | 'The One Who Stopped’ | 2014 | $350 |
| Bronwyn Rees | ‘Country’ | 2014 | $1,200 |
| Bernard Appassamy | ‘The Book of Asylum’ | 2013 | $1,500 |
| Elizabeth Banfield | ‘Collected Dead Letters, Volume 2’ | 2014 | $900 |
| Mark Wingrave | ‘A Journey from One Reality to Another’ | 2014 | $35 |
| Annique Goldenberg | ‘Living Water: the river hid, logbook, codex’ | 2014 | $750 |
| Deanna Hitti | ‘Assimilated Museum’ | 2015 | $2,200 |
Our 2013 Acquisitions
| Danielle Creenaune (NSW) | ‘Unsent Letters 1’ | 2012 |
| Anne-Maree Hunter (NSW) | ‘Suburban Democracy’ | 2012 |
| Georgia Thorpe (VIC) | ‘In Praise of Shadows / Ties that Bind’ | 2012 |
| Sandra Winkworth (NSW) | ‘Hot Pie Portland’ | 2012 |
| Nicci Haynes (ACT) | ‘The Articulate Body’ | 2012 |
| Deanna Hitti (VIC) | ‘The Country Justice: containing the practice of the justices of the peace out of their’ | 2013 |
| Lyn Ashby (VIC) | ‘Ideo(t) Grammatica’ | 2011 |
Our 2011 Acquisitions
| Deidre Brollo (NSW) | ‘Untitled’ | 2010 |
| Angela Cavalieri (VIC) | ‘Cert Cosse Non Si Dicono’ | 2010 |
| Gwen Harrison and Sue Anderson (NSW) | ‘Someone Somebody Run’ | 2010 |
| Clyde McGill ( VIC) | ‘Atlas: Strongman’ | 2010 |
| Lise Melhorn-Boe (North Bay, Ontario, Canada) | ‘Body map’ | 2009 |
| Janis Nedela (WA) | ‘Palindrome No. 39 – MA/AM’ | 2010 |
| Alan Purdom (NSW) | ‘Homage to Homage’ | 2010 |
| Barbara Schmelzer (NSW) | ‘A Collection of Australian Animals’ | 2010 |