The finalist portraits in the biggest Australian art award of the year have been announced, alongside finalists of the Wynne and Sulman Prizes—and the winner of The Packing Room Prize.
Abdul Abdullah has won the $3,000 Packing Room Prize for No mountain high enough, his portrait of fellow artist and friend Jason Phu. Abdullah was chosen from 57 Archibald finalists. Now in its 34rd year, the Packing Room Prize was first awarded in 1991 and is chosen by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries.
Senior installation officer and member of the AGNSW Packing Room team, Alexis Wildman, says: “We were instantly drawn to Abdul Abdullah’s portrait of Jason Phu. Both are accomplished artists whose works have a distinct style and engage with complex social and cultural themes using wit and cartoonish references. The team holds great respect for the way both Abdul and Jason have progressed in their careers.
“On a technical level, this portrait is very well painted. It really captures the essence of the subject with the image of a lone ranger, an intrepid jokester or a quiet hero navigating the rocky terrain of today’s social climate. This immediately sparked conversation among the Packing Room team.”
This marks Abdullah’s seventh time as an Archibald finalist. The Perth-born artist is a seventh-generation Muslim Australian of Malay, Indonesian and European heritage. His multidisciplinary practice often centres narratives of displacement related to histories of diaspora and migration.
“It is always an honour to be selected as a finalist for the Archibald Prize, and I am especially honoured to be picked for the Packing Room Prize. I see it as a sort of community prize, where the Packing Room team, which is made up of professional art handlers—many of whom are artists themselves—get to pick a painting they like. I am so glad they picked this one. It’s kind of like an artists’ pick, and I’m extra happy for that,” said Abdullah.
“Jason is my best friend. We talk on the phone every day, he was the best man at my wedding, and we have travelled together. I’ve painted him as I see him, as a ceaseless adventurer who at any one time is involved in a dozen conversations on a dozen different platforms, bringing his unique perspective to one flummoxed friend or another.”
This year, the Art Gallery of New South Wales received 2,393 entries across the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes. Some of the 57 Archibald finalists include Mostafa Azimitabar painting Grace Tame, Col Mac painting Miranda Otto, Jaq Grantford painting Antonia and Nicole Kidman, self portraits from Vincent Namatjira, Clare Thackway, and Vipoo Srivilasa—and that’s just a snapshot. The full list of finalists and their portraits can be found here.
The winner will be announced Friday 9 May and will take home a $100,000 prize.
The $50,000 Wynne Prize celebrates the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figurative sculpture. This year’s finalists can be found here.
And the $40,000 Sulman Prize acknowledges the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project. Finalists are here.
Both the Wynne and Sulman Prizes winners will be announced Friday 9 May.
The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes are run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. All winning and finalist works will be showing at the gallery between 10 May—17 August.
Archibald Prize 2025 finalist works will then tour to regional galleries across Victoria and New South Wales until September 2026, see the full list of galleries and dates here.
Wynne Prize 2025 finalist works will tour regional New South Wales until June 2026, see the full list of galleries and dates here.
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