Archibald prize 2026 finalists: Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed and more (opens in new tab)

More than 1,000 portraits have been whittled down to 59 finalists for the Archibald, which opens at the Art Gallery of NSW on 9 May – the day after the winner is announced. The $100,000 prize is awarded to the best portrait of a person ‘distinguished in art, letters, science or politics’ painted by an Australian resident – and 42% of this year’s finalists are first-time entrants. Here is a selectionThe 2026 Archibald finalists will be on show at AGNSW from 9 May Continue reading...