The Bettison & James Award recognises individuals whose lifelong work has benefited the Australian community.

Commencing in 2015, the Award was established to recognise Australians who have contributed a lifelong body of work of high achievement and community benefit.

The Award is administered by the Adelaide Film Festival on behalf of the Jim Bettison and Helen James Foundation. Presented by the Foundation on an annual basis, it provides the beneficiary with the possibility to extend, record or disseminate aspects of their life’s work.

The award recipient’s area of expertise may be in the arts and humanities, social justice, the environment, the sciences or any other area where benefit to the community results from their work.

The Foundation’s Selection Committee reviews all submissions before making its final decision. $50,000 is awarded to single or multiple recipients, based on eligibility and strength of application.

Celebrating 10 years, Bettison & James Award

Previous Award recipients will gather during AFF to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Award.  All have made significant contributions to society in a diverse array of fields and have unique and valuable perspectives.

Hear from the Awardees in two illuminating panels to be moderated by senior journalists from The Guardian where they reflect on contemporary issues and offer their unique insights and calls to action.

2024 Bettison & James Award Recipient

Angela Valamanesh has been an independent visual artist based in Adelaide for over forty years. She works across a number of different mediums with a focus on the connections between art and science and an abiding fascination with nature and our connections to all life forms.

A graduate of South Australian School of Art in 1977 her practice primarily involved ceramics. In 1996 she was awarded an Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Art Scholarship with a one year residency at Glasgow School of Art. 

Her art works are included in private and public collections including Art Gallery of South Australia and National Gallery of Australia and often evolve from research undertaken during residencies such as Smithsonian Institute Washington DC in 2014 and The Barr Smith Library's Rare Books Collection in 2017. 

Her work explores the often-seductive connections between plants and animals, and recently includes her Jam Factory Icon exhibition of 2019 and The Mortician’s Garden exhibition of 2021, which featured at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert in Sydney. Angela also recently completed the Mordant Family / Creative Australia Affiliated Fellowship in Rome.

Guidelines

• The nominee must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

• The Award is only available for individuals.

• Candidates for the Award may be invited by the Foundation, or nominated by a third party.

• All recipients of the Award should seek advice on the mitigation of tax related to the Award.

• The Recipient may be invited to present a paper or speak about their lifetime work and achievements.

• The decision of the Selection Committee remains final and no further correspondence will be entered into.

About The Foundation

The Jim Bettison and Helen James Foundation was established to realise the vision of Dr Jim Bettison and Ms Helen James through the annual Bettison and James award.

Helen and Jim were far-sighted and creative thinkers, committed to supporting a wide range of activity in the community through philanthropy and professional engagement. Jim co-founded Codan, a successful and award-winning Adelaide company, established the Developed Image Photographic Gallery and served as Deputy Chancellor at the University of Adelaide. Helen was an exhibiting studio artist. She served on various key arts committees and was a founding member of the National Library of Australia’s Foundation Board.AFF aims to garner innovative partnerships and to create opportunities for Australian key thinkers and practitioners.

AFF administers the Bettison & James Award for the Bettison & James Foundation. Perpetual acts as trustee for the Foundation.