The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 marks the end of one of the Gallery’s longest-running exhibitions.
Since 2007, the Prize has celebrated the vitality and diversity of contemporary portrait photography from across the nation. From the joyful and playful to the strong, intimate and vulnerable, it has showcased the stories, people and moments that mattered.
The winner for 2026 is
Mae Khong 2026 by Nathan Beard
Judges’ statement: "This photograph of Nathan Beard’s aunt Mae Khong has an immediate and compelling emotional pull. Through its tight composition and simple colour palette interspersed with soft blue tones, combined with the vulnerability of a private yet familiar pose, the artist creates a portrait of palpable intimacy. Even though we can’t see the subject’s face, we are drawn into a connection with her, perhaps sensing the weight of her life experiences or recognising our own loved ones in this quietly captured moment. There is both resilience and fatigue legible in Mae’s posture. With water droplets still on her skin, this is a candid scene but it also speaks to the depth of familial connection between artist and subject."
The First Time Finalist Award winner is
Nghỉ/Nghiêm (Attention/At ease) 2025 by Phuong Nguyen Le
Judges’ statement: "This is a conceptually innovative portrait that has been executed with skill and tenderness. Phuong Nguyen Le has chosen to work with a technique that directly connects to the story at the centre of this work – illuminating photography’s role in painful histories including war and conflict. In adapting this technology to create a pair of beautifully rendered images, the artist performs an act of reclamation. All elements of the work are carefully considered, including the device of duplication which poetically conveys the complexity of the subject Lê Ngọc Long’s wartime experience."
The Art Handlers' Award winner is
Untitled: 01 2025 from the series What remains? by Hussein Abdirahman Mohamud
To celebrate the remarkable photography and thank the community of artists, supporters and visitors who have cherished this prize over the years, the Gallery will present a curated retrospective alongside the 2026 finalists' exhibition.
The winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 receives a prize of $30,000 cash courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Imaging Partner Canon Australia. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive $10,000 from the Calvert-Jones Foundation. The Art Handlers’ Award winner receives $3,000 courtesy of IAS Logistics. The winner of the First Time Finalist Award receives $3,000 courtesy of EIZO. All finalists receive artist and copyright fees as well as all costs covered for freight and travel.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 will be held from 22 August to 11 October 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra before touring nationally.
