Street Art City of 2025 nominees: introducing Melbourne.
A city defined by creativity, community, and an unstoppable Street Art spirit
Melbourne has never been shy about its love affair with street art. It’s in the laneways, on the rooftops, across the suburbs, and woven into the cultural identity of the city itself. In 2025, that passion has been recognised on a global stage: Melbourne has been shortlisted for the inaugural Street Art City of 2025 award, a groundbreaking new category celebrating not just murals, but the entire ecosystem that makes a city’s street‑art culture thrive.
A new award that celebrates entire creative ecosystems
This year introduces a major shift in how street‑art excellence is measured. The new Street Art City of 2025 category is powered by the platform’s five‑dimensional Popularity Index, which evaluates:
Activity — the day‑to‑day vibrancy of the scene
Heritage — decades of cultural depth and artistic evolution
Engagement — how communities interact with and respond to the art
Collective energy — the intangible spark that makes a city feel electric
Platform presence — how strongly the city resonates across Street Art Cities
This award moves the spotlight from individual walls to the cities that nurture creativity at scale. And among the 25 global nominees,from Berlin to Los Angeles, Lisbon to Antwerp, Melbourne stands tall.
Why Melbourne earned its place on the shortlist
According to local hunters, artists, and community members, Melbourne’s nomination is no accident. It’s the result of decades of cultural investment, grassroots passion, and a citywide commitment to creativity.
A city covered in art — literally
Melbourne’s metropolitan area is vast, and so is its street art. From the CBD to the outer suburbs, the city is blanketed with murals, stencils, paste‑ups, stickers, and large‑scale works. Street art isn’t confined to tourist hotspots, it’s everywhere.
A passionate community of street‑art hunters
Melbourne’s hunters are legendary. In 2023, ta new hunter team took over the Melbourne map and added over 2,000 artworks in just a few months. Today the map surpassed 4000 active artworks, making Melbourne the #1 ranked city on Street Art Cities for total artworks .
Their dedication is Herculean, frequent checks of high‑turnover laneways, constant documentation, and a relentless commitment to accuracy. As one hunter put it: “This effort in itself deserves an award.”
A diversity of art forms that few cities can match
Melbourne’s scene is a kaleidoscope of styles:
Stencils
Paste‑ups
Stickers
Murals
Large‑scale building‑side works
Underground and hidden pieces
The city’s history as a global stencil capital in the early 2000s still shapes its laneways today.
A magnet for international artists and a launchpad for local ones
High‑profile artists visit Melbourne, fall in love with the scene, and return again and again. Meanwhile, local artists are gaining national and international recognition, supported by studios like Blender Studios and Everfresh, galleries like Backwoods and Off The Kerb, and festivals such as Juddy Roller and Wall‑to‑Wall.
Moments from the past year that capture Melbourne’s magic
Hunters shared the discoveries and experiences that defined 2025, moments that reveal why Melbourne deserves global recognition.
Folklore that spans generations
“Is that really a Banksy in Duckboard Place?”
These whispered debates are part of Melbourne’s mythology, the kind of stories that keep hunters searching, comparing, and dreaming.
An underground scene as vibrant as the one above ground
Melbourne’s hidden spaces, tunnels, back alleys, industrial pockets, host an entire parallel universe of art.
Artists with multiple aliases
Hunters frequently uncover artists experimenting with different identities and styles, adding layers of mystery and richness to the scene.
Art that moves people to tears
Several hunters described moments of deep emotional impact:
Sherele Moody’s “She Matters – Stop Killing Women” mural in Hosier Lane, a powerful protest piece that has survived against the odds.
Amanda Newman’s murals, which spark reflection on the world we’re leaving future generations.
Jarrod Grech’s politically charged works, which have gained significant media attention.
Even a small sticker reading “Remember, a Palestinian mother loves her children as much as you love yours” stopped one hunter in their tracks.
A community that builds the scene together
Melbourne’s street‑art culture thrives because everyone participates.
Artists
Hard‑working, prolific, endlessly creative, they paint constantly, collaborate often, and welcome onlookers as they work.
Residents and visitors
Crowds gather in Hosier Lane every weekend to watch artists paint. Visitors contribute to the Street Art Cities catalogue as guest contributors. Locals share photos, stories, and discoveries.
Hunters
They don’t just document the scene, they shape it. Some become artists themselves. Others provide reference photos that inspire murals (Andrew’s photos have been used by artists like Melanie Caple and Jimmy Dvate).
Media
A major Melbourne newspaper published a feature on the city’s hunters, leading to radio interviews and social‑media coverage that amplified Melbourne’s global presence.
Collectives and studios
Groups like the Melbourne Street Art Collective host inclusive paint sessions where even children are invited to join in.
This is collective energy, and Melbourne has it in abundance.
Hunters’ Favourite Murals
Hunters shared the murals that moved them most, a testament to the emotional depth of Melbourne’s scene.
Guido van Helten’s portrait of Ana Seymour
A monumental mural of the deaf dancer on the Melbourne Polytechnic Institute in Windsor, a tribute to resilience, beauty, and determination.
Amanda Newman’s “Why Aren’t We Listening”
A powerful call for awareness and empathy in Fitzroy North.
Lucy Lucy & Katherine Gailer’s mural in Preston
A stunning collaboration, rich in colour and symbolism.
Lauren YS (Squidlicker)’s short‑lived Fitzroy mural
A bold work that sparked intense public debate , and showed how street art can challenge, provoke, and inspire.
Melbourne’s Street Art voice is loud, and the world is listening
Melbourne’s nomination for Street Art City of 2025 isn’t just a recognition of its murals. It’s a celebration of: its artists, its hunters, its residents, its visitors, its history, its future, and its unstoppable creative energy
Street art doesn’t decorate Melbourne, it defines it.
And now, the world gets to see what locals have known for decades:
Melbourne is one of the greatest street‑art cities on Earth.
Time to support Melbourne and the entire urban ecosystem and vote here
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Aaawww I wish I could visit Melbourbe one day!