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.

Associated prizes

The Archibald is held at the same time as the Sulman prize, the Wynne prize, the recent Australian Photographic Portrait Prize and was held with the Dobell Prize before 2003. The Archibald prize is the second richest portrait prize in Australia, before the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. However, the Archibald is the only artist's prize that receives much attention in the general press. Part of the reason is probably that many of the paintings feature prominent Australians such as actors, sportspeople, and politicians, and thus making the art more accessible than other genres. It is also longer running with a richer tradition than the newer established portrait prizes.

Related Topics:
Sulman prize - Wynne prize - Australian Photographic Portrait Prize - Dobell Prize - Doug Moran National Portrait Prize

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In 1978 Brett Whiteley won the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes all in the same year, the first and only time this has happened. It was his second win for the Archibald and the other prizes as well.

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Some works which do not make the Archibald Prize finalists are shown at the Salon des Refusés exhibition, which began in 1992.

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The satirical Bald Archie prize was started in 1994 as a parody of the Archibald Prize, at the Coolac Festival of Fun, and had so many visitors that it was moved to Sydney.

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