Algal bloom inspires Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize winner
SA’s algal bloom is front and centre among the prestigious Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize awards winners with the full list revealed. See the top artworks picture gallery.
The South Australian Museum has announced the two winners for the national 2026 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, with one local artist taking home the grand prize.
Adelaide ceramic artist Deb McKay has been named the winner of the Waterhouse Art Prize’s open category for her piece The Ghosts of our Coastal Water, taking home $30,000 in the process.
McKay described her winning piece as “a labour of love” that was inspired by the harmful algal bloom that devastated SA’s coastline over the past 12 months.
She told InDaily that seeing the algal bloom’s effect on Fleurieu Peninsula marine life during the Easter weekend last year and hearing stories from friends burying washed-up stingrays on Kangaroo Island had motivated her to design the sculpture.
“It really upset me to think that my children and my grandchildren especially would probably not have the beautiful environment that I grew up with or visited on a regular basis,” McKay said.
“That was the inspiration. Just watching the algal bloom happen in South Australia and looking at the palpable impact that it had on people and communities.
“I’ve always made sea or ocean inspired artwork out of porcelain, and it just seemed that it was a natural fit for me to make something that would suit that narrative.”
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It is the second time the ceramicist has been awarded a Waterhouse Art Prize after taking home the emerging artist category in 2022 for her Fragile Forms porcelain coral reef piece.
The self-taught artist began making ceramic artwork in 2018 and held her first exhibition in 2020. Her latest award-winning piece took her around six months to complete after multiple firing and glazing processes to perfect the green algae colour.
“I’m honoured to be selected among such an enormous category of highly respectable and worthy other entries,” McKay said.
“I just believe that this is a competition that brings nature and art together and it reflects and showcases our natural world.”
The eligible artists for The Waterhouse Prize were invited to submit artwork relating to the natural world and associated sciences such as biology, geology, and astronomy.
There were 42 finalists named in the open category, and 32 in the emerging artist category, with winning pieces and shortlisted finalist entries to be on display at the South Australian Museum from Friday, April 10, to Sunday, July 19, 2026.
The winner of the emerging artist category was Shepparton artist Kat Parker for her hanging life-size sculpture of a tiny bat in flight titled Discarded (Christmas Island Pipistrelle).
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Parker was awarded $10,000 for her art piece on the now extinct Christmas Island pipistrelle, which was last detected in 2009.
“I hope that my work can draw attention to the lesser-known species we have already lost due to human activity,” Parker said.
“Through learning about extinction, I believe we have a better chance of saving our vulnerable species.”
Arts Minister Kyam Maher said the exhibition highlights “how important our institutions like the South Australian Museum are to the state”.
“Deb McKay and Kat Parker’s works are captivating and show great talent but hit hard because of the messages they deliver about our fragile environment,” Maher said.
“The museum, through exhibitions like the Waterhouse and its outstanding collections, show us all how crucial understanding the natural world is to our present and future as a community.”
The following artworks were awarded a Highly Commended by the judging panel:
Open category:
- Abdul-Rahman Abdullah from Western Australia for Black Cat
- Dan Power from the Australian Capital Territory for More Than the Sum of Parts
- Jeremy Blincoe from Victoria for An Odd Circularity
- Katherine Boland from New South Wales for Insecta
Emerging category:
- Annelise Josephine Smith from Victoria for Nautilus Shell II
- Jorji Gardener from South Australia for Mapping Absence
- Karla Pringle from Victoria for Everyday Holobionts: Waters Colour Calendar
- LeShaye Swan from South Australia for Bush Bananas
- Mia Forrest from New South Wales for Remnants
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