The trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales judge the entries and the winner receives $100,000.
First awarded in 1921, the Archibald Prize was established following a bequest from former Art Gallery trustee and founder of The Bulletin magazine JF Archibald (1856–1919), whose aim was to foster portraiture, support artists and perpetuate the memory of great Australians.
The open competition has been awarded annually (with two exceptions: 1964 and 1980) to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in arts, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
Entries to the Archibald Prize must be painted in the past year from at least one live sitting.
Archibald Prize finalists are also eligible for the Packing Room Prize and the ANZ People’s Choice Award.
Exhibition Partners:
