Louth artist receives award at inaugural Sidney Nolan Art Prize
International art prize for Omeath artist inspired by River Fane
Omeath-based artist Anna Marie Savage has received a prestigious award at the inaugural Sidney Nolan Art Prize after her painting Uisce Salach I was selected from more than 1,600 submissions from artists worldwide.
Anna Marie Savage is an award-winning artist, and a graduate of the University of Ulster with First Class Honours in Fine Art, who has exhibited widely throughout Ireland and the UK, with recent solo exhibitions including the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, and the Gerard Dillon Gallery at An Cultúrlann, Belfast.
In 2025, she received the Newgrange Gold Award for work of distinction connecting to the natural environment at
Her painting Uisce Salach I, was shortlisted alongside just 50 paintings for exhibition at The Rodd, Herefordshire, the UK home of the Sidney Nolan Trust, where four awards were presented on 11 July 2026.
She received a Burren College of Art Residency Award, recognising her innovative practice, which combines painting, fieldwork and microscopy to explore environmental issues.
The award-winning painting forms part of Uisce Salach (Dirty Water), an ongoing body of work developed over three years in collaboration with Leeds University. The project investigates the environmental impact of illicit fuel dumping along the Irish border and focuses on the River Fane in County Louth.
Using water samples collected from the River Fane, Savage employs microscopy to reveal molecular traces of pollution that are invisible to the naked eye.
These microscopic observations are translated into abstract oil paintings, transforming scientific research into powerful visual works that explore environmental degradation and humanity's relationship with the natural world.
The award recognises a body of work rooted in County Louth, demonstrating how environmental issues affecting local communities can resonate with audiences on an international stage.
"It is an incredible honour to receive this award at the inaugural Sidney Nolan Art Prize," said Savage.
"To have a painting rooted in County Louth recognised through an international competition means a great deal to me. The River Fane has been central to my research for several years, and this award demonstrates how stories that begin in local places can resonate far beyond their origins."