Welcome to our live coverage of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes
Good morning! Welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s live coverage of the 2026 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.
I’m Kayla Olaya, and I will be helming the blog today while my colleagues, arts writer Linda Morris and Sydney arts editor Nick Galvin, deliver news, insights, and the winners of this year’s prizes on the ground from the Art Gallery of New South Wales
We have a lot of fun coverage planned for the blog today, from our critics’ top picks, to the surprise feature the finalists are leaning into, and who is judging the prestigious event.
Stay tuned!
Read some preview stories ahead of our 2026 Archibalds coverage:
Is it finally Lewer’s Year?
Could it be sixth time lucky for Melbourne’s Richard Lewer?
His portrait of Iluwanti Ken (who is also a finalist in the Wynne Prize) is already turning heads. Set against a bold yellow ochre background, the piece caught the eye of AGNSW Director Maud Page at the Packing Room Prize unveiling.
“I think he’s really captured Iluwanti’s force and her presence,” Page noted. “It’s no small feat—painting life-size on unprimed canvas means you have zero room for error with your pigments. Despite the technical difficulty, the result is incredibly gentle.”
Think the papal conclave’s secrecy is tight? It’s nothing compared to the Archibald
The winner of the 2026 Archibald Prize will be chosen by the 11 Art Gallery of NSW trustees.
The rules of the bequest say it should go to the best portrait “preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics,” painted by an artist resident in Australasia. It must be painted from life, of a living subject and have been made in the past year.
The current president of the trust is University of Technology Chancellor Michael Rose, and other members include artist Tony Albert, philanthropist Paris Neilson and former politician Peter Collins.
A look at this year’s 59 Archibald Prize finalists
At noon, one of the 59 Archibald finalists below will claim the prestigious prize.
The winner of the $100,000 prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Friday will be selected unanimously by gallery trustees.
If you would like to read a critic’s analysis of this year’s portraits, here is a piece written by Michaela Boland.
Welcome to our live coverage of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes
Good morning! Welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s live coverage of the 2026 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.
I’m Kayla Olaya, and I will be helming the blog today while my colleagues, arts writer Linda Morris and Sydney arts editor Nick Galvin, deliver news, insights, and the winners of this year’s prizes on the ground from the Art Gallery of New South Wales
We have a lot of fun coverage planned for the blog today, from our critics’ top picks, to the surprise feature the finalists are leaning into, and who is judging the prestigious event.
Stay tuned!
Read some preview stories ahead of our 2026 Archibalds coverage:
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
