THE FACTORY ART PRIZE 2026

Theme Commentaries

We live in a world that is lacking in hope. When we look to the future, technology promises innovation and change, but we have learned to be sceptical about whether it will make the world a better place. We are unsure of the world that we are passing on to our children. And when we consider our own personal futures, who knows what's in store?

Christians have often been regarded as ridiculously hopeful. The Christian message is a message of promise. It is unique in its certainty and scope. In the Bible, hope does not mean wishful thinking but rather confident expectation. It is grounded on the fact that God has spoken promises and begun to keep them through sending his Son as a sacrifice for sin, then raising him from the dead. On that basis, Christians set their sights on a horizon far beyond this life to a renewed world and a life that is fully restored without sin and evil.

In describing the Christian experience of knowing God's promises and how Christ has gone ahead, the Bible says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). Our hope is not ridiculous; it is rational, wonderful and much-needed in our world!

– Steve Young, Senior Minister

As we go through life and as we reflect on the state of the world, we can be tempted to settle into hopelessness... or at least a state of scepticism about the wisdom of being hopeful. Hope is an elusive sentiment, and often the more of life we have experienced, the greater suspicion we have towards putting too much trust in our hopes.
And yet every day, we find things to be hopeful about – whether they be as simple and inconsequential as lovely weather to enjoy on the weekend, or as profound and urgent as healing for a poorly relative, or hope for peace across the world.
And hope does not put us to shame, as we read in Romans. We need hope, and where cynicism leaves us apathetic and powerless, hope lends us strength and persistence. It is hope that prompted the great social justice movements of history towards the seemingly impossible achievement of their goals; and similarly, it is hope that spurs on the single mother seeking to give her child a better life.
Sometimes hopelessness is not a choice, and it takes great courage to be hopeful.

– Felicity Kerr, Art Prize Organiser