08 December 2025
Western Australia’s next generation of artists have been celebrated at the 2025 Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists.
The prestigious annual award recognises creativity and artistic skill across four age categories.
‘Future Serenity’ by student Raadin Ebadi.
This year’s finalists impressed the judges with works exploring imagination, identity and storytelling through powerful visual expression.
The award’s patron, Oscar Award-winning author, illustrator and filmmaker, Shaun Tan, has supported the competition for the past 23 years. He contributed a special pre-recorded message for this year’s ceremony, sharing his own early artworks and reflecting on how storytelling through images shaped his creative journey.
Perth Modern School student Raadin Ebadi won first place in the upper secondary category for his artwork ‘Future Serenity’.
A speechless Raadin said that the portrait grew from his interest in getting back into drawing his friends again.
“I was completely shocked and overwhelmed with excitement at first. I couldn't believe it really, but afterwards I was really proud and grateful,” he said.
“I decided to create this portrait of my friend Jamal, as his mother is a photographer and would have had great images I could use as a reference. Jamal turned out to really love the piece.”
Raadin Ebadi once first place in the 2025 Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists.
“Anyone thinking of creating their own artwork should create what interests them, what they have a passion for. Create what interests you, not what might win an award or what others might like more.”
In the lower secondary category, Jasper Lindon from John Curtin College of the Arts won for his piece ‘Father’s Portrait’.
Diarmuid Gannon from Bannister Creek Primary School received top honours in the Primary category for his artwork ‘A Lion Who Wants a Friend’.
All finalists’ artworks can be viewed in the Shaun Tan Award online exhibition.