Related: Art for art's sake - the EJ Mantova Memorial Art Competition

"Ten days before we only had three entries," Bellingen Show Secretary Geoff Adams said. "Then they came flooding in just before the deadline."

The winners were officially announced on Saturday May 18 and a total of prize pool of $3000 was distributed.

Coordinator Jackie Lee began proceedings by explaining that there had been a few changes this year.

Due to insufficient entries, the youth category (13-17 years) has been amalgamated into the general competition; however, the age of such entrants was taken into account during the judging so they wouldn't be disadvantaged.

Also, a new type of award has been added to the existing set of First, Second and Highly Commended.

Called Encouragement Awards, like the Highly Commended there are two of them in each category and Jackie noted that they allow judges to recognise promising artists whose practice needs development in a particular area.

"With our Encouragement Awards, there's a comment in there regarding the skill that they are doing really well and a comment on something that the judge thought they could continue working on," Jackie said.

Alongside the 88 artworks entered for the 2019 competition, the exhibition in the showground's Main Pavilion also includes a painting called Marx Hill by Ernest John Mantova, after whom the competition is named, and a watercolour by Marie Warwick, after whom the watercolour section is named.

Marie's daughter Julie came to the Official Opening to present the awards for the watercolour section.

This year's judge was Elisa Hall.

1^st Charlotte BLESING Path to the Sun

Be drawn into this image. Without close inspection, many of the exciting qualities of Path to the Sun would be overlooked. There is a use of different textural marks to depict different surfaces and a create a sense of depth. Selection of subtle colour gives a gentleness.

2^nd Myffie COADY Outback Road

The Outback Road weaves its way through the picture commencing in the foreground and disappearing into the back ground. The scale of the environment encourages the viewer to connect intimately with the journey taken along the road. You can only be in one place but feel part of a bigger space.

HC Mary ABBOTT Sawtell from North Headland

The placement of the viewer in Sawtell from North Headland entices the audience to be part of the landscape, standing and viewing this bay. The viewer is positioned above the bay watching the waves breaking, the water moving. A variety of paint application techniques has helped to create this mood.

HC Charlotte BLESING Forest Floor

Leaves lying on the ground! Layers of leaves lying on the Forest Floor. The richness of the surface treatment combined with the slight variation of leaf shape, is all that is needed to keep the audience engaged.

EN Carol MCLAGAN The Billabong

Colour and texture are the highlight of The Billabong. The image conveys a mood and atmosphere rather than depict extensive detail of the landscape. The artist is encouraged to continue using paint application techniques to create mood.

EN Robyn SIMON Scotts Head

The artist of Scotts Head has demonstrated a knowledge on colour theory. This is evident in the foreground. Striking contrasts with the purples and yellows, distant cliffs and movement of water. The artist is encouraged to continue to explore colour as a tool to create depth.

1^st Lyndley McCOLL Nicobar Pidgeon

Before a mark has been placed on the paper, the decision on what type and colour of paper to use, has to be made. Nicobar Pidgeon demonstrates the importance of paper selection. The paper texture plays a vital role in this image. The bird flies at the viewer with vitality, energy and light. The detail on the beak contrasts with the feathers.

2^nd Jennifer DIAMOND Caryatid Vienna II

The audience's viewpoint in Caryatid Vienna II forces the eye to travel up the figure. Traditionally this viewpoint creates a sensation of power and importance with figure looking down. The technically accurate application of watercolour and use of light softens the figure. Instead, the dark building above the figure acts like a halo keeping the focus on the figure.

HC Blaez DAIAMOND-BEST Cosmic Dream Owl

An owl is powerful. Is it powerful with its eyes shut? In Cosmic Dream Owl, the owl is extruding power; calm and in control. The focus is on the owl with the background creating a feeling of timelessness.

HC Linda PAS DE LION Two Up

The majority of the paper surface is untouched. What marks are made are varied, confident and important to the communication of texture and form. The viewer is drawn to focus on the most textured and tightly worked part of the image.

EN Marlene GRIFFIN Rulers of the Roost

How much fun are these roosters having! The application of confident lines of colour overlapping and layering, aid in establishing the playfulness. The artist is encouraged to continue gaining confidence in applying paint in a sweeping movement.

EN Guus BRUNNEKREEF Mountain Ash

The trees are imposing amongst the landscape. This is created with a ground level line low in the image and the use of yellow to further anchor the tree trunks. The artist is encouraged to continue manipulate compositional elements to best convey intended meaning.

1^st Linda COOMBER Morning of the Earth

The relief sculpture, Morning of the Earth, encourages the audience to look at known objects from a different perspective. There is repetition of form with visual and textural interest created with the change of materials. Awareness of the importance of line made with the thread connects each element.

2^nd Jennifer DIAMOND Petit Palais

In Petit Palais, the subtle treatment of the sky contrasts with the visually descriptive depiction of the building. The building has weight while the sky is fluid. A sense of strength is created that is timeless.

HC Susann MARTIN Bird Song

The Bird Song is a combination of decoration and description. Decoration has been applied to the background and leaves, with the use of dots and selection of colour. Description of the bird's characteristics can be seen through the inclusion of details and precise rendering of texture.

HC Robyn SIMON Venetian Magic

Look what happens when the picture plane is directly related to the image. A long, thin corridor of water bound by buildings, emphasized in a long thin picture. The texture and expressive use of the material has aided Venetian Magic to be magic!

EN Eileen MOORE African Queen

The African Queen has a fun and energetic use of vibrant colour. The face gains strength by its location in the picture, expression on the face and the treatment of the background. The artist is encouraged to continue on her study of the nuances of facial expressions.

EN Fiona RICHARDS My Story

Four panels linked by connecting parts of a snake's body. Together, a complete snake. Each panel can visually stand alone, however interpretation of content is strengthened with all four My Story panels. The artist is encouraged to continue with story telling through art making.

1^st Ivinnie BROWN Tribute to Buddy

The success of Tribute to Buddy is what is not included in the image. It demonstrates careful consideration and control of the content. This gives the image power. The artist has rendered the light tones on a dark background rather the traditionally drawing of the dark tones on a light background.

2^nd Jeffrey McNeil Ancient Eden

Ancient Eden takes the audience on a journey through a landscape that is constructed from a variety of texturally interesting marks. The contrast between the types of marks enable the audience to discern foliage differences. Tone and depth are created through the careful selection and quantity of lines made.

HC Barbara MOTT Eagerly Awaiting

How the artist has used the drawing materials in Eagerly Awaiting is one of the reasons this is a visually interesting image. Bright colour combines with a variety of lines and methods of applying line, to enhance the vivaciousness of the scene. Everyone can connect to their dog eagerly awaiting the arrival of their human.

HC Sara Schepers Sara's Choice

The buildings generate a sense of night. The sky is white. So, is it day or night? Sara's Choice creates depth by layering the buildings. The image is visually anchored as the buildings only occupying a small band of space across the bottom of the picture plane. The audience looks down at the buildings but up to the sky.

EN Eileen MOORE Celebration

As the lady gazes directly out of the image, she entices the audience to connect with her. There is strength in her gaze and movement in her hair. The artist is encouraged to continue exploring the drawing medium of pastels.

EN Carole HELMAN Forest Spirit I

In amongst Forest Spirit I are expressively rendered lines that contrast with the large areas of colour. It is evident that consideration has been taken as to the placing of the black compositional elements. The artist is encouraged to continue using line to travel around the picture plane.

1^st Paul REYNOLDS Monty

At first glance: out of the corner of your eye, appears Monty. This may be confronting to some people depending on their personal relationship they have with snakes. Like them or loath them. The qualities of a snake are well represented, capturing movement and pattern.

2^nd Anne REILLY Au Contraire II

The vessel Au Contraire II has freedom from precision. The surface has a variety of colour treatments which enables the audience to travel around the vessel and remain engaged. The differing thickness of the clay adds to the surface interest.

HC Trevor CHENEY Until the Cracks Show

Until the Cracks Show has utilized the natural qualities of the timber to enable the form to be the focus. The addition of the contrasting material, the barbed wire, has the artist asking the audience to interpret preconceived ideas of the use of barbed wire in relation to the human form.

HC Linda COOMBER Curvidac

The title Curvidac suggests curves. And that is what the artist delivers. A texturally interesting free-standing sculpture that uses found natural materials and reinvents their function through the repetition of curves.

EN Linda COOMBER Tree and Air

Tree and Air takes a wide mixture of naturally occurring materials and represents them outside of their expected context. The audience can recognize what each material is but may not expect to see the forms and combinations that have been presented in this sculpture. The artist is encouraged to continue exploring ways of interpreting found objects in a variety of ways.

A total of $3000 worth of prizes was distributed, with $400 for the winner of each category and $150 for second place.

The People's Choice Prize of $100 is awarded by popular vote and will be announced at 2pm on May 26, the Sunday of the show.