Tuesday, September 09, 2025 – Live Well, Die Well Art Prize winners across six categories were announced on the eve of the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (OPCC) in Brisbane.
Overall Winner:
Vicki White (NSW) – ‘Tethered To Earth’ 2024 Photopolymer Photogravure Etching on Paper/Image Size 29.5cm x 27cm
Winners across categories:
- First Nations Artist – Leeann Pedersen (WA) – ‘Going Back to Our First Home’
- Emerging Artist – Claire B Cusack (ACT) – ‘Matthew’
- Artist Living with a Disability – Jean Kelly (QLD) – ‘Patches and Memories’
- Primary School Student – Genevieve Sebastian (QLD) – ‘Defying Ageism: Living Life with Flair and Laughter’
- Secondary School Student – Sarah Polkinghorne (NSW) – ‘Letters from Joan’
Vicki White, overall winner of the Live Well, Die Well Art Prize said that she knew she had captured a special, peaceful moment on film as her family sat with her Dad before his death.
“When I saw the art prize come up, I just felt like it was something that needed to be put out there,” Ms White said.
This is the story Vicki submitted with her award-winning artwork:
My father died at home the day after this image was taken. He had been under the care of the community palliative care team of my hometown, where my siblings and I had returned to help our mother care for him over the last few months of his life.
Even with this support, nothing had really prepared us for the night we were about to go through with our Dad on his final journey. But I guess nothing can prepare you to let go of a significant person in your life until it happens. We had this moment of peace on his final evening. One sister whispered that Dad’s feet tangled in the sheet reminded her of my paintings. I took a photo. As a painter and printmaker this image reminded me of the classical images from Renaissance paintings. Another sister gave this image the title. My father was tethered to earth for one more night. Thank God for the beautiful palliative care nurses who shared this journey with us.
The national art prize, which attracted 109 entries across Australia, is a Palliative Care Australia initiative supported by Arcare, designed to foster public engagement with palliative care through the transformative power of visual art.
Over the three days 10-12 September, works by 33 Live Well, Die Well Art Prize finalists were on display at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of OPCC – one of the key events in the palliative care sector’s calendar.
Palliative Care Australia CEO Camilla Rowland said that the art prize invited Australians of all ages and backgrounds to explore the deeply human experiences of living, dying, and grieving in their art prize submissions.
“This initiative is one of the many ways we can spark and support meaningful conversations about palliative care,” Ms Rowland said.
“Art has the unique ability to help us confront and normalise conversations around death and dying, while also celebrating the importance of people living as well as they can, for as long as they can.”
With a prize pool of over $10,000, the Live Well, Die Well Art Prize has recognised excellence across multiple categories, reflecting a commitment to equity, accessibility, and the celebration of lived experience.
A ‘People’s Choice’ award was chosen by about 1,600 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference delegates in Brisbane and announced at the conference closing ceremony.
A full list of finalist’s artworks is available on the Palliative Care Australia website.
The full gallery of Live Well Die Well Art entries can be viewed on the event website and gallery HERE.
An event gallery can be viewed here.
First Nations Artist – Leeann Pedersen (WA) – ‘Going Back to Our First Home’
“Thrilled to be a winner, Love working in Palliative Care and being part of the patient’s journey” says Leeann Pederson
This painting is about Aboriginal people coming to their end of their journey.
Going back to Country is important when Aboriginal people are terminally ill.
They are always thinking about going back to their first home and visit the special places where they grew up as kids. They long to get out of town and go bush and smell the fresh air.
Going bush heals the soul, it gives a fresh feeling of youthfulness. It clears all the negative thoughts and gives a strong feeling of connection to the land.
Going back to your first home on a cattle/sheep station where our parents worked and walking into the old tin house is very healing. All the memories flood back to you of when you were a child. A lot of happy memories of Mum washing our clothes in the old copper tub, memories of sitting around the old wood stove as Dad cooked us porridge on the cold mornings, memories of finding horseshoes on our walks through the bush, memories of sitting around an old fire bucket, memories of the wildflowers and the old kurrajong tree out back.
Emerging Artist – Claire B Cusack (ACT) – ‘Matthew’
I feel blessed to have my painting of my dear late brother Matthew as a winner in the live well, die well art prize. Matthew’s journey in Palliative care gave us special time with him and helped me and my family through the process of grieving.
This is a portrait of love, but also of sorrow and pain. It is a tribute to my brother Matthew, who has faced many challenges in his life, from a learning disability to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, from a heart attack to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was in palliative care, relying on a special oxygen system to breathe. He was a fighter, a survivor, a hero.
This is a portrait of my daughters Alice and Victoria, who adored their uncle and shared a special bond with him. They have seen him struggle and suffer, but also smile and laugh. They have learned from him the value of life and the power of love. They were his angels, his joy, his hope.
This is a portrait of us, a family that has been through so much, but still stands together. We have cried many tears for Matthew, but we also celebrate his life and his spirit. We cherished every moment we had with him, every memory we made. We were inspired by his strength and resilience.
We are grateful for his love.
Matthew passed away on the 7th April 2024 – I am honoured to have had Matthew as my big brother.
Artist Living with a Disability – Jean Kelly (QLD) – ‘Patches and Memories’
“I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in the conference. Sharing visual storytelling as a means to open conversations and create space for reflection & contemplation.” says Jean Kelly.
Interactions and conversations nearing the end of a person’s life can be of great value for the patient and clinician in a caring role. Developing insight, reflecting on their individual stories and identity. Reframing the perspective from the more immediate tests, results and prognosis to the fabric of their life, their hopes and dreams. An affirmation of their sense of personhood.
This piece utilises pre-loved fabrics, with textures, colours and patterns which may stir memories and associations. The viewer can find references in this piece which create moments of interest and reflection. Inviting consideration of the significant aspects and events in the patchwork of a person’s life and contrasting them with more medicalised events, experienced in clinical settings.
The colours, warmth and vibrancy in the patchwork of memories and life stories, interrupted by the monochromatic, stark and detached qualities of the clinical references. Although these patches, symbolising experiences and interactions with clinicians and healthcare workers, are relatively smaller in comparison, there is potential for these times to be of great significance. Conversations at, end of life can improve understanding and add to the sense of legacy, identity & dignity.
Primary School Student – Genevieve Sebastian (QLD) – ‘Defying Ageism: Living Life with Flair and Laughter’
“I’m honoured to be selected as a finalist among so many talented creatives in a program that celebrates life. This recognition is a meaningful reminder that my work resonates with the theme “Live Well” and that art has the power to reflect, inspire and nurture a life of balance, connection and well being. I dedicate this to my grandmother , whose strength and spirit continue to inspire and guide me”, says Genieve Sebastian
I’m 11 years old and I share a priceless unique bond with my grandmother. My grandmother is the Iron Lady yet completely compassionate. She is brave, bold, beautiful and one of a kind. She loves her garden full of flowers, colourful birds and is great at stitching crochets. Inspired by a photo, I imagined my grandmother riding a trendy colourfully crocheted bike with her graceful smile in our dreamscape. I wanted to say it out loud through my art that all elderly people rightly deserve to celebrate life and have fun in style because age does not define a person nor their achievement. Age is never a barrier to greatness; in fact, it often enhances it.
It’s a call for change not just to dismantle the discriminatory beliefs and practices that marginalize individuals solely based on their age but to foster an inclusive society where every individual treated with respect and dignity. I personally believe that people of all generations have unique contributions to make to the society and should be valued for their wisdom, experiences, and talents rather than being subjected to stereotypes or biases.
Secondary School Student – Sarah Polkinghorne (NSW) – ‘Letters from Joan’
This is my Great Grandma, Joan. She has lived an extraordinary life with stories that could entertain generations. When I was away at boarding school, she would send me letters telling me of her adventures on the farm and all the animals she had seen, one card being featured in the background. The photo inspiration of this painting was taken last year on her 99th birthday. Every year, like clockwork, she would repeatedly tell us that she refuses to make it to 100, and well… her birthday is fast approaching. I am already grieving the card I won’t receive next year.
“Congratulations to all our winners and finalists your work is exceptional, and you continue to set the standard for what quality palliative care looks like,” said Ms Rowland. “These awards remind us of the importance of recognising the people who bring compassion, dignity, and expertise to those facing life-limiting illness, every single day.”
The 2025 National Palliative Care Awards were sponsored by Silverchain – one of Australia’s leading home care specialists, providing health and aged care services to more than 140,000 clients each year.
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