The Samstag Museum of Art has announced the recipients of the 2026 Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarships: Yuriyal Bridgeman, Teresa Busuttil, and EJ Son. Each recipient will receive full institutional fees for one academic year, a tax-free stipend of $75,000, and travel support to pursue study at an international art program of their choice.
Now in its 34th year, the Samstag Scholarship remains one of Australia’s most significant visual arts awards, designed to enable artists to expand their practice through intensive study abroad.
“The Class of 2026 exemplifies the breadth and ambition of contemporary Australian practice, spanning photography, moving image, performance, new media, sculpture, installation, ceramics, drawing and painting,” said Erica Green, Director of Samstag. “The Samstag Scholarship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It gives artists time, resources, and international immersion to test ideas, build networks, and return with renewed purpose and momentum.”
About the 2026 Scholars
Yuriyal Bridgeman (PNG/QLD)
Bridgeman’s practice draws on his dual Papua New Guinean and Australian heritage, grounded in the cultural narratives of his maternal Yuri tribe of the southern Simbu Province, PNG. His study in Germany will give him access to major international collections of Papua New Guinean artefacts, fostering a dialogue between traditional forms and contemporary modes of storytelling.
Teresa Busuttil (SA)
An Australian artist of Maltese descent, Busuttil explores themes of memory, migration, and inheritance through Mediterranean and maritime imagery. Her study in Portugal will allow her to engage directly with Mediterranean cultural and historical contexts, enriching her investigation of identity and belonging through installation and mixed media.
EJ Son (NSW)
Working across sculpture, installation, and performance, Son transforms spectacle into introspection, using conceptual frameworks to challenge systems of power and perception. Enrolling in the Master of Fine Arts: New Genres program at UCLA, Son will further develop their experimental practice and deepen audience engagement through critical inquiry and new technologies.
Selection and Legacy
The 2026 panel, Erica Green, contemporary artist Nell, and Stephen Atkinson, Program Director: Contemporary Art, UniSA, praised the recipients’ clarity of vision and understanding of their artistic trajectories.
“All three artists demonstrated a strong sense of purpose and a clear articulation of how this opportunity will advance their practice,” the panel noted. Nell added, “This will be a turning point for each artist, the consolidation of their work to date and the beginning of a new chapter.”
Since its establishment in 1992, the Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship has awarded 152 scholarships, with alumni including Archie Moore, Deborah Paauwe, Nike Savvas, Shaun Gladwell, Julie Gough, and Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro. Many have gone on to exhibit at major international platforms such as the Venice Biennale, Biennale of Sydney, and the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art.
The Samstag Scholarships are awarded by the University of South Australia and administered by the Samstag Museum of Art on behalf of the Trustee of the estate of Gordon Samstag, the celebrated American artist who taught at the South Australian School of Art in the 1960s.
For more information and to read essays introducing the 2026 Scholars by Patrice Sharkey, visit samstagmuseum.unisa.edu.au.