The 2025 winner is British artist and printmaker, John Pedder, with his piece ‘Are We Nearly There Yet’, which is the first woodblock print to win the competition in the festival's 60+ year history. 

John hand carves his wood blocks and makes the prints in his own backyard studio. John’s winning print depicts a range of boldly coloured characters of all ages and genders, each with their own story. The artwork speaks well to Adelaide Fringe’s vision to become the most inclusive festival in the world.  

This work is called ‘Are We Nearly There Yet’ and when I first printed it I made an open call out on Instagram asking people to send me names for the characters. People sent through names and so much more; they also sent in stories behind the characters. The project opened up a heartfelt dialogue with so many people and while the initial idea of the title was connected to the typical kids question in a car journey, it became much deeper with all the stories people sent in - ‘Are We Nearly There Yet’ is the bigger picture of life and our life's journey... are we ever nearly there?

For me, there’s a connection with these characters and the Fringe poster competition brief of ‘One for All and All For One’ as the print reflects the many arts disciplines that visitors from all walks of life will experience at Australia’s biggest arts festival. It's a journey everyone can join, no matter where you are from, to come and share stories. I like how inclusive Fringe festivals are - everyone can participate in Fringe and share their creative ideas with others. Fringe is accessible and participation is open to all. A bit like making a woodblock print - it doesn't require complex tools, virtually anyone who wants to can make a wood block print and share their story with it. Arts should be for all, everywhere. 

Wood block printing is one of the oldest artforms there is. It's relief printing - so you take a woodblock and carve out with your simple tools anything you don't want to be printed. Dig it all out, roll ink on your block and rub the paper on it - whatever is in relief is what gets printed. The blocks themselves can often be quite sculptural as well.

I'll be exhibiting a range of my woodblock prints from over the years in Adelaide Fringe. My artworks often depict pared-down figures in bold colours that capture stories of the human experience, often with a bit of a humorous twist. I'm really looking forward to meeting people at Adelaide Fringe and showing my prints and sharing stories.

It's huge to win this and I'm so grateful for the prize. But also I want to give back to the Fringe for this so I will be creating limited edition original prints of 'Are We Nearly There Yet' with proceeds from the sales donated to Arts Unlimited to help other artists participate in the festival. 

To see more of John’s work, follow him on Instagram.