Margaret River Region Open Studios (MRROS) has won Silver in the Festivals and Events category of the 2024 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.
Announced on Friday night at Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia, the tourism industry’s best operators gathered from around the country to recognise their achievements and celebrated excellence and innovation.
MRROS Chair Jim Davies said it was a huge win for the arts as well as the Margaret River Region.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the greatest win for a grassroots visual arts event in Australia,” he said.
“We’ve entered the Tourism Awards just twice, and each time have made it to the National finals. This is our greatest achievement to date. To be awarded Silver, and to be acknowledged on the national stage for tourism excellence, is truly incredible.
“It speaks volumes for the creativity flowing in the Margaret River Region and the desire of visitors and tourists to have an immersive arts experience when they travel.
“Enormous congratulations to our wonderful artists who make this event possible by opening up their studios and their hearts to allow visitors to see into their creative spaces.
“Thank you to the tireless efforts of our voluntary board and to our team and to our local, regional and state tourism bodies for their support.”
Jim said the award recognition was timely. “We are in the final week of registrations for the 2025 Open Studios event, so it’s a great prompt for artists living in the region to finalise their registrations for what I’m sure will be another record-breaking event.”
Margaret River Region Open Studios returns from 13-28 September 2025 with studios opening from Busselton to Augusta. In 2024 the event saw approximately 12,200 visitors and 110,000 studio visits over the 16 days.
Artist registrations, and more information is available at www.mrropenstudios.com.au. Sponsorship and general enquiries are welcome to art@mrros.com.au, or visit the event’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts.
MRROS is made possible thanks to Private Properties, Department of Local Government, Sport and Creative Industries, Tourism Western Australia, Jacksons Drawing Supplies, Rio Tinto, Swings & Roundabouts, City of Busselton and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.