Archibald Prize



Archibald Prize. The annual Archibald Prize for portraiture is one of Australia's oldest and best-known visual arts awards. The prize was first awarded in 1921 and is now worth $35,000. The winning entry is judged by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. An exhibition of the paintings shortlisted for judging, in conjunction with those shortlisted for the Wynne Prize, the Sulman Prize and the Australian Photographic Portraiture Prize, is held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales each year.

The Archibald Prize began in 1921 with a bequest from Jules Francois Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin magazine. Archibald said the Prize was to be awarded by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales to 'the best portrait, preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics, painted by an artist resident in Australasia during the 12 months preceding the date fixed by the Trustees for sending in the pictures'. The prize aims to encourage portraiture by supporting artists and celebrating the memory of great Australians.

All winners: 1921 - W B McInnes, 1922 - W B McInnes, 1923 - W B McInnes, 1924 - W B McInnes, 1925 - John Longstaff, 1926 - W B McInnes, 1927 - George W. Lambert, 1928 - John Longstaff, 1929 - John Longstaff, 1930 - W B McInnes, 1931 - John Longstaff, 1932 - Ernest Buckmaster, 1933 - Charles Wheeler, 1934 - Henry Hanke, 1935 - John Longstaff, 1936 - W B McInnes, 1937 - Normand Baker, 1938 - Nora Heysen, 1939 - Max Meldrum, 1940 - Max Meldrum, 1941 - William Dargie, 1942 - William Dargie, 1943 - William Dobell, 1944 - Joshua Smith, 1945 - William Dargie, 1946 - William Dargie, 1947 - William Dargie, 1948 - William Dobell, 1949 - Arthur Murch, 1950 - William Dargie, 1951 - Ivor Hele, 1952 - William Dargie, 1953 - Ivor Hele, 1954 - Ivor Hele, 1955 - Ivor Hele, 1956 - William Dargie, 1957 - Ivor Hele, 1958 - William Pidgeon, 1959 - William Dobell, 1960 - Judy Cassab, 1961 - William Pidgeon, 1962 - Louis Kahan, 1963 - J Carrington Smith, 1964 - No award, 1965 - Clifton Pugh, 1966 - Jon Molvig, 1967 - Judy Cassab, 1968 - William Pidgeon, 1969 - Ray Crooke, 1970 - Eric Smith, 1971 - Clifton Pugh, 1972 - Clifton Pugh, 1973 - Janet Dawson, 1974 - Sam Fullbrook, 1975 - Kevin Connor, 1976 - Brett Whiteley, 1977 - Kevin Connor, 1978 - Brett Whiteley, 1979 - Wes Walters, 1980 - No award, 1981 - Eric Smith, 1982 - Eric Smith, 1983 - Nigel Thomson, 1984 - Keith Looby, 1985 - Guy Warren, 1986 - Davida Allen, 1987 - William Robinson, 1988 - Fred Cress, 1989 - Bryan Westwood, 1990 - Geoffrey Proud, 1991/92 - Bryan Westwood, 1992/93 - Garry Shead, 1993/94 - Francis Giacco, 1995 - William Robinson, 1996 - Wendy Sharpe, 1997 - Nigel Thomson, 1998 - Lewis Miller, 1999 - Euan MacLeod, 2000 - Adam Cullen, 2001 - Nicholas Harding, 2002 - Cherry Hood, 2003 - Geoffrey Dwyer, 2004 - Craig Ruddy, 2005 - John Olsen, 2006 - Marcus Wills, 2007 - John Beard




Archibald Prize artists:

Click on a name to enter the artist's page.

Davida Allen
John Beard
Fred Cress
Adam Cullen
Geoffrey Dyer
Francis Giacco
Cherry Hood
George Lambert
John Longstaff
Euan MacLeod
William Beckwith McInnes
Lewis Miller
John Olsen
Geoffrey Proud
William Robinson
Craig Ruddy
Wendy Sharpe
Garry Shead
Nigel Thomson
Guy Warren
Bryan Westwood
Marcus Wills





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the archibald prize
In 1900 Jules François Archibald, then editor of the Bulletin, commissioned John Longstaff to paint a portrait of the poet Henry Lawson. Apparently Archibald was so pleased with the portrait that he decided to 'write his name across Sydney' by bequeathing money to the arts. When he died in 1919 he left one tenth of his estate of £89,061 in trust for a non-acquisitive annual art prize to be awarded by the Trustees of the (then) National Art Gallery of New South Wales (now the Art Gallery of New South Wales)
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