This resource is designed to help secondary teachers create learning experiences that engage students with the artists, sitters, themes and stories of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026.
It features photographs from the exhibition, with strategies that support students to explore photographic portraiture, storytelling and themes through observation, discussion and research. It also provides opportunities for students to respond to the portraits and explore their own creative practice.
The resource is divided into key themes: World Building, Process, Place, Identity and Light and Shadow.
Within each theme, there are four areas for engagement: Look, Discuss, Connect and Create.
Look: begin with careful observation
Start your exploration of each portrait with activities that encourage slow looking and thoughtful observation. Students will take time to notice details, visual elements and artistic choices before moving into interpretation. This area focuses on independent and collaborative learning through observation.
Discuss: share ideas and uncover meaning through conversation
Build on observations by discussing the portrait as a collective. Students will share perspectives and explore the stories, meanings and themes it might represent. This area focuses on collaborative learning through discussion.
Connect: deepen understanding through research and personal inquiry
Strengthen connection to the artist’s practice through the artist statement and inquiry activities. Students will consider how the portrait reflects social, cultural or personal themes, how it relates to a broader body of work, and how these ideas connect to their own context, interests and identity. This area focuses on independent learning through research.
Create: respond creatively and develop artistic practice
Apply insights by creating an artistic response. Students will experiment with materials, techniques or ideas inspired by the portrait. This area focuses on independent learning through making.
Expanding on this resource
Planning on visiting the exhibition with your students? This resource is perfect to support learning pre- and post-visit. You can book your students in for a self-guided or facilitated program to explore the exhibition here.
Can’t make it to the exhibition in-person? Request a Power of Photography virtual excursion where you can explore photographs from the exhibition and the Gallery’s collection with one of our Experience Facilitators from the comfort of your classroom.
About the exhibition
The National Photographic Portrait Prize supports and celebrates the vitality, diversity and excellence of contemporary photographic portraiture in Australia. Each year the prize attracts thousands of entries from photographers across the country.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 marks the end of one of the Gallery’s longest-running exhibitions. This year, the judges selected 30 finalist works from 1023 entries. These will be displayed alongside a curated retrospective celebrating 19 years of remarkable photography that showcased the stories, people and moments that mattered. You can see a list of all works from this year’s prize and those included in the retrospective here.
