Designed to attract some of Australia’s finest contemporary artists and high calibre works, the inaugural Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize and exhibition was first held in 2003 at Bendigo Art Gallery.
Every two years the Gallery invites artists to submit entries for the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize. The most outstanding work as judged by the selection panel is awarded an acquisitive cash prize of $50,000. The Prize was initiated by Mr Allen Guy C.B.E in honour of his late brother Arthur Guy.
Arthur Guy was born in Melbourne on 24 November 1914, the first son for Arthur and Catherine Guy. He was the only and elder sibling of Allen Rupert Guy. Arthur was educated at Camp Hill State School in Bendigo and then at Ballarat Grammar School. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in a signals unit and served in New Guinea. On 14 February 1945, aged 30, he was on a biscuit bomber mission when his plane was shot down near Lae. He is buried in the Lae War Memorial Cemetery.