SYDNEY.- The City of Sydney is encouraging local artists and illustrators to explore what contemporary Australia means to them in this year's Multicultural Art Competition, now open for entries.

The competition, now in its second year, is a City initiative showcasing artworks that acknowledge and promote Sydney's diverse cultural background.

"The City of Sydney's vision is to build and support an inclusive community of residents and visitors from all walks of life," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP.

"This competition asks local emerging and established artists to draw inspiration from our cultural diversity by exploring their own ideas and experiences of what it means to be Australian."

This year's Multicultural Art Competition will form part of Art & About, Sydney's biggest public arts festival.

Ten competition finalists will be selected by a distinguished judging panel of arts industry professionals, community services professionals and representatives from the Inner and Eastern Sydney Migrant Interagency.

The finalists will be announced at the exhibition launch at Customs House on 17 October 2009, with more than $4000 in cash prizes up for grabs, including $2000 for first prize.

The artworks will be exhibited at Customs House Library from 17 - 30 October 2009 and at Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, a unique arts centre in the heart of Sydney, from 4 - 22 November 2009.

The judges will be looking for artworks that explore the diversity of Australian identity in an original way, are stylistically strong and adaptable to various formats.

Entries close at 5pm on Monday 24 August 2009.