2026 Mosman Art Prize

Now in its 79th year, the Mosman Art Prize is Australia’s longest-running municipal art award and is widely regarded as the most prestigious and relevant painting prize in the country. Established in 1947, the Prize has become a defining platform for contemporary Australian painting; a place where ideas, identity, and the spirit of our times are expressed through the enduring power of paint. 

This year’s winning painting will go into the Collection and sit alongside such esteemed artists as Cressida Campbell, Grace Cossington Smith, Lucy Culliton, Guan Wei, Adam Cullen, Nicholas Harding, Lloyd Rees, Guy Warren, Margo Lewers, Jumaadi, Elisabeth Cummings, Natasha Walsh, Michael Zavros and Margaret Olley – who was the inaugural winner in 1947.

This year’s judge is Blair French, CEO of Murray Art Museum Albury. Read Blair’s speech here.

Winner 2026 Mosman Art Prize: Georgia Spain, The different ways to ward off words (After NS), 2026, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Margaret Olley Commendation Award: Matthew Harris, Brightest of All Time, 2026, ground charcoal and synthetic polymer paint

Allan Gamble Award: Hayley Megan French, Patterns for a Home (Some Thoughts I Couldn’t Put Down), 2026, synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Guy Warren Emerging Artist Award: Tara McIntosh, Home, 2026, synthetic polymer paint, ink, graphite on hessian

 

This exhibition is thanks to our generous sponors