‘2025 USU CREATIVE AWARDS’
25 AUGUST - 19 SEPTEMBER, 2025
Lily Tucker, VITULA_SUITE, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.
Open to all students at the University of Sydney (USyd), the annual USU Creative Awards is Australia’s largest university student union creative prize, highlighting the very best of visual arts, short film, writing and music from our student body.
Platforming the voices of USyd’s emerging creatives, the 2025 USU Creative Awards showcases works engaged with a vast range of themes, including queer identity, representations of femininity, grief and catharsis, the quotidian, and memory.
Although varying in subject matter, many of the works are grounded in personal experience and navigate socio-political matters pertinent to young people within contemporary society. Featuring finalists across all four categories, the Creative Awards sheds light on the experiences and perspectives of USyd’s student community.
2025 CREATIVE AWARDS WINNERS:
ART
First prize - Ryan Ouyang, Sanctuary
Second prize - Jingru Mai (Moira), The Monster in the House
USU Member’s Choice - Liv Laverty, Welcome Home
Judges’ Honourable Mention - Shenglin Xue, The Forgotten Lands
MUSIC
First prize - Yo Oo Ya (ㅕㅜㅑ), “MIA”
Second prize - Gian Santoro, “walk w me”
USU Member’s choice - Pico Dos Santos-Lee, "Hunted"
WORD
First prize - Ariana Haghighi, “Syrup inside”
Second prize - Juneau Choo, “Un-Authorise Conduct”
USU Member’s choice - Bineeta Saha, "Why Don't Universities Have Recess" & M. K. Han, "Open Learning Environment"
SHORT FILM
First prize - Hannah Rahim, I think I might be dying
Second prize - Shimmy Yang, Clownfish
USU Member’s choice - Julia Brechtelsbauer, Longing
ONLINE EXHIBITION
Liv Laverty, Welcome Home, 2025. Single channel video, charcoal on paper, 0:37 mins.
The views in this exhibition are not necessarily the views of USU. The information contained within this publication was correct at the time of publication.
The USU Creative Awards are divided into the categories Art, Music, Word and Short Film, with each category awarding the following prize amounts:
1st Prize: $1250
2nd Prize: $800
Member’s Choice: $500
Winners from all categories will be announced on 18 September 2025.
Are you a USU Member? Vote below for your favourite works across the four categories, and be in to win an Art Gallery of New South Wales membership for you and a friend! Voting is open until 12pm on 17 September - submit yours below:
Whether you’re a student, USYD staff member or part of the community, sign up to become a member of USU here.