Archibald Prize

The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia. It began in 1921 after a bequest from J F Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin, and is awarded annually by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales for "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." In 2005, the prize awarded was $35,000.

Additional Categories

Since 1988 there have been two extra categories added to the Archibald prize event. Both are more likely to award a celebrity such as actor or musician, than the main prize. One of them being the Packing Room Prize in which the staff, who receive the portraits and install them in the gallery, vote for their choice of winner. Although the prize is said to be awarded by the staff, the gallery's storeman, Steve Peters, has held 51% of the vote since 1991, when the first Packing room prize was given. The other category is the Peoples Choice Award in which votes from the viewing public are collected to find a winner, this award also comes with a monetary prize of $2,500. To date, there has never been a matching Archibald Prize winner and a Packing Room Prize chosen in the same year, but there were two Peoples Choice Awards given to Archibald Prize winners in 1988 and 2004.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twice there has been a matching Packing prize winner and Peoples choice award (neither won the main prize), to Paul Newton's portrait of Roy Slaven and HG Nelson in 2001, and to Jan Williamsons portrait of singer/songwriter Jenny Morris the following year in 2002.

Related Topics:
Paul Newton - Roy Slaven and HG Nelson - Jan Williamson - Jenny Morris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~