Footballer Mitch Brown, Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie, poet Gerald Murnane, ballerina Grace Carroll, author Gabrielle Wang and actor Marta Dusseldorp are all subjects in this year’s crop of Archibald Prize finalists.
Australia’s most famous art competition The Archibald Prize has released the works which have made it past the judges and into final contention, and among them some very familiar faces.
The competition is awarded annually to the best portrait, it asks that the subject be some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, and it must be painted by an artist who is a resident in Australia.
The competition is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and it began in 1921 thanks to a bequest from Jules Francois Archibald who was the editor of The Bulletin magazine. The winning entry receives $100,000 in prize money.
Among this year’s subjects is a wide range of well-known Australians including Mitch Brown, Cody Simpson, William Yang, Virginia Trioli, Daniel Johns, Mick Turner and many others. This year 59 works have made the final cut.
Former West Coast Eagles player Mitch Brown made headlines in August 2025 when he became the first male AFL player to come out publicly as bisexual.
“I was drawn to paint Mitch because of the impact he has had across Australia,” said first-time Archibald finalist Chris Watts.
“At a time when homophobia is still rife in the stands and on the field, Mitch’s vulnerability in sharing his story was a pivotal step for queer visibility in both the AFL and Australian men’s sport more broadly.”
Watt’s portrait incorporates the colours of the bisexual Pride flag.
“Within my usual palette, I brought in the colours of the bisexual pride flag – royal blue, purple and pink – so the portrait carried that sense of identity. I also felt the side profile gave him a strong, almost historic feel, as I believe his stand is an important moment in Australian history.” he said.
William Yang has been pained by Kean Onn See. They have described how they wanted to show the respect Yang receives as a queer elder and documenter of history.
“In recent years, William has come to embody the role of an elder within the community, particularly among younger Asian and queer artists. This work imagines a simple encounter: the viewer enters his studio and is met with his warm smile and an open invitation to ask, listen and learn.” Kean Onn See said.
In a colourful work Kaylene Whiskey captured herself with fellow artists The Huxleys. Born in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Whiskey won the 2018 Sulman Prize. This is her fourth time in the Archibald Prize.
Sindy Sinn titled her work ‘Keep on stingin” and it captures musician Adam Hyde, best known for being one half of dance duo Peking Duk, and as a solo artist under the moniker Keli Holiday.
Cody Simpson, the musician and competitive swimmer, has been captured by artist Kelly Maree. The artist was inspired by Simpson talking about how you can chase multiple dreams in your life.
‘On the day I met Cody, I had him stand in a darkened room in front of a projection of wings, creating the illusion they extended from his shadow. The shadow is a visual metaphor for self-belief and the power to pursue dreams.” Maree said.
Perth artist Desiree Crossing is a first time Archibald finalist. She’s painted Dr Mohammed Mustafa who has been working as a volunteer physician in Gaza.
Dale Rhodes selected actor Susie Porter as a subject. Porter is one of Australia’s most acclaimed actors known for films including Paradise Road, The Monkey’s Mask and TV shows including Wentworth and East of Everything.
Nick Stathopoulos, who is known for his highly detailed images has been an award finalist on many occasions. This time round he’s captured film producer Margaret Fink.
An Archibald finalist on nine previous occasions, Stathopoulos won the People’s Choice in 2016 with a portrait of Sudanese refugee and lawyer Deng Adut.
The Packing Room Prize, which is awarded by the team who unpack the hundreds of paintings in consideration, has been awarded to Sean Layh for his work titled The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke.
The subject of this portrait is actor Jacob Collins. The painting came about after Sean Layh saw him in the title role of Iain Sinclair’s 2024 production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs theatre.
The winner of the Archibald Prize will be announced on 8 May.
