National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026

Visual Art Exhibition Review | Brian Rope

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 | Various Artists

National Portrait Gallery | 22 August – 11 October 2026

Warwick Art Gallery | 21 November 2026 – 16 January 2027

Glasshouse Port Macquarie | 6 February – 28 March 2027

Unley Museum | 16 April – 17 July 2027

Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre | 21 August -23 October 2027

Gympie Regional Gallery | 26 November 2027 – 5 February 2028 The National Photographic Portrait Prize was first conducted in 2007. This is the final one. This year’s 30 finalists are in this exhibition. So too are 30 selected finalists from previous years. This review only discusses this year’s artworks.

One might say that 2026 was the year for Naarm/Melbourne photo artists as almost half of the finalists, including all three winners, are based there. The chosen winner is Nathan Beard. The First Time Finalist Award has been given to Phuong Nguyen Le. The Art Handlers’ Award was given to Hussein Abdirahman Mohamud. Their three winning images have, naturally, already been published and written about in numerous other places, so I will only look at some of the other 27 finalists here.

I really enjoyed The Falling, by collaborators Lakie Sideris and Gretel Taylor. Sideris is the artist who took the photograph. Taylor - a dance artist, curator and researcher known for her site-specific performance work – is the subject. The excellent image of a falling movement is a powerful portrayal of sensing and moving with the surrounding environment.

 

The Falling, 2026 - Laki Sideris, Gretel Taylor
- pigment photographic print (frame: 87.0cm x 62.3cm depth 4.0cm)

There is much to look at in Walkabout, by Michael Cook. This portrait places its subject at the heart of Japan’s commercial district, memorialising aspects of Japanese culture. Whilst letting you explore it for yourself, I have to mention one thing that particularly attracted my attention. The subject is holding numerous dogs on leads. Watching them from high above is a cat. Not just any cat, but one who is a symbol of the Metropolitan Police Department. I imagine it pouncing should any dog misbehave.

 

Walkabout, 2025 - Michael Cook
- pigment photographic print (frame: 125.1cm x 164.0cm depth 6.1cm)

Franky Tsang’s artwork, Between us, is a delightful study of his young daughter sitting quietly on her own. Tsang was nearby, watching from a short distance when he took the image, so it includes the nearby surroundings. The colourfully dressed child is beautifully lit seated beneath a streetlamp, whilst the surroundings are monotone. The image is an excellent example of the artist’s portraiture practice which focusses on subtle, often unspoken moments.

 

Between us, 2025 - Franky Tsang
- pigment photographic print (frame: 90.0cm x 120.0cm depth 4.5cm)

Another diptych, by collaborators Briony Galligan and Abbra Kotlarczyk, explores family trees, queerness, toxicity and healing. The artists explain their intention to use a double exposure to counter “the idea that supposedly containable units of one’s family, body, identity and history are sealed in some way”. Regardless of that, both parts of the gentle, colourful diptych are delightful.

 

Arranging by chance (doctored exposure), 2025 - Briony Galligan, Abbra Kotlarczyk
- diptych: pigment photographic prints (various (see individual records for details))

Another finalist is a high-quality monochrome portrait by Dean Saffron of a much-loved indigenous Australian photographer, Mervyn Bishop. He is pictured reflecting quietly just before his 80th birthday. Appropriately, he is accompanied by his own reflection. He is portrayed in the same honest way that his own works over many years have ensured other Aboriginal people have been seen.

 

Uncle Mervyn Bishop - Australia’s first Aboriginal press photographer, 2025 - Dean Saffron
- gelatin silver photograph (image: 94cm x 140cm. frame: 103.3cm x 153.2cm depth 3.5cm)

I was personally most pleased to see a work by Madeline Bishop. I have known her since she was a baby and keenly followed her developing artist career. The image was shot as part of a series exploring how people make homes from the shell’s they’ve been given. The concept is “like spaces, our bodies hold history, memory and evidence of our experiences; the site for our hopes, dreams, anxieties and fears to play out.”

 

On the chair, 2025 - Madeline Bishop
- pigment photographic print (frame: 59.8cm x 59.8cm depth 4.0cm)

I loved the idea behind A portrait as a parent. Mia M. McDonald began with a candid portrait taken in her kitchen. A print of it was attached to a wall and her kids were invited to hand-colour it as they wished. The end result was this most colourful fun portrait which, to my mind, perfectly portrays the colouring-in activity loved by children. I do have one small wish – I would have liked to see a little more of mum’s face.

 

A portrait as a parent, 2025 - Mia M. McDonald
- lambda photographic print (frame: 120.2cm x 80.2cm depth 4.7cm)

Finally, a comment about a work by Canberra’s Sammy Hawker who continues to explore a diverse range of experimental techniques. The chromatograms are the most intriguing portraits I have ever seen. What do you think of the artwork?

 

Three Siblings Chromatograms of Emmie, Rasmus and Cosmos, 2026 - Sammy Hawker
- pigment photographic print (sight: 50.6cm x 134.0cm. frame: 54.4cm x 137.8cm depth 3.5cm)

If you are not able to visit the exhibition, all the finalists can be seen at https://www.portrait.gov.au/nppp-images.php. You can also vote for the People's Choice Award there - voting closes Wednesday 30 September 2026.

This review is also available on the author's blog. A shorter review has also been published on the Canberra City News website.