The National Portrait Gallery has removed financial barriers for artists looking to enter its 2024 awards season.
The National Portrait Gallery announced on Tuesday that from next year, entry fees for both the Darling Portrait Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize have been removed. What's more all finalists for both prizes will receive an artist fee of $1200 and a copyright and licensing fee of $1000.
National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering said these changes were in line with the Australian Government's landmark National Cultural Policy - Revive: a place for every story and a story for every place.
"Portraiture and storytelling are indelibly linked, and we are excited by the rich and diverse representations of Australians and Australian life that are presented every year," she said.
"The prizes celebrate the most compelling recent Australian portraiture. Both the Darling Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize capture a vast array of people, from the celebrated and well-known, to local identities, community members, neighbours and family. We see also the brilliance of recent Australian art and how artists consistently offer unexpected insight and acknowledge our shared humanity through their work.
"We have removed the financial barriers that may have prevented artists from entering our prizes in the past, as access to our programs and more opportunities for artists is at the heart of what we do, and is central to the National Cultural Policy.
"As the national home of portraiture in Australia, we recognise the role Prize exhibitions play in expanding opportunities for artists to exhibit at a major gallery and to come together with other artists from across the country."
The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial event honouring the legacy of L Gordon Darling AC CMG (1921-2015), who was instrumental in establishing the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.
The prize aims to highlight and nurture the art of Australian portrait painting and offers $75,000 cash prize for the winner, as well as Highly Commended, People's Choice award, and the Art Handlers' Award, supported by IAS.
Established by the National Portrait Gallery to support and celebrate photographic portraiture in Australia, the National Photographic Portrait Prize was first awarded in 2007 and has since become a highlight of the annual calendar, attracting thousands of entries each year from amateur and professional photographers around the country. The Portrait Prize winner takes home up to $50,000 in prizes: $30,000 cash from the National Portrait Gallery and $20,000 worth of Canon equipment thanks to Imaging Partner Canon Australia. Other prizes include Highly Commended, which is supported by EIZO, Art Handler's Award sponsored by IAS.
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