National Photographic Portrait Prize

From an outstanding field of more than 3,000 entries, culminating in a shortlist of 39 exceptional finalists, the Winner and Highly Commended entries for this year’s National Photographic Portrait Prize have been named. The Winner for 2019 is Alana Holmberg for her portrait titled Greta in her Kitchen, 36 weeks. The Highly Commended  has been awarded to Alex Vaughan for her portrait Sumbawa pride – life on a boat with eleven kids. The People Choice Award went to Kate Atkinson for her portrait, The textile scientist.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize is an annual event intended to promote the very best in contemporary photographic portraiture by both professional and aspiring Australian photographers.

Stephen Dupont, 2018 by Simon Harsent.
Stephen Dupont, 2018 by Simon Harsent. Finalist.  "I first met Stephen Dupont eight years ago; I regard him as one of Australia’s finest photographers. I’ve always found Stephen a very humble and passionate person – sometimes aloof, but in an intriguing way. When I saw his one-man show a few years ago, I saw a different side of him, and it gave me some insight, some partial understanding of the complexities of being a war photographer. To me, this portrait sums up the complex intensity of Stephen. Coincidentally, the sitting took place on September 11th this year (2018), a date in history that holds significance for both of us."

Other venues

Blue Mountains Cultural Centre: Saturday 25th January until Sunday 22nd March 2020.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

May

Sydney: Until 16 August 2026. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

June

Melbourne: 5 March – 7 August 2026. Between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, artist and social documentary photographer Viva Gibb (1945-2017) documented the suburbs of North and West Melbourne, where she lived.

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Sydney: until 4 July 2026. A Breath Before Dawn is a meditation on memory, inheritance and the unresolved presence of history within the body.

Sydney: June 6 – 19 July 2026. The World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is returning to the State Library of New South Wales from 6 June to 19 July, offering Sydney audiences an uncompromising view of of the unending challenges that humans, and our planet face.

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

Brisbane: until 18 October 2026. Known affectionately as the ‘Cool Cat of journalism’ Wayne moved effortlessly among the greats, between the media and community, treating every encounter as part of his day’s work behind the lens.

Melbourne: 26 June – 2 August. Through analogue photographic processes, Dylan Negri aims to immortalised fragments of life that would otherwise disintegrate.