Countdown Begins for 2024 Brisbane Portrait Prize

The countdown to the 2024 Brisbane Portrait Prize has officially begun, with several of the 2023 winning portraits unveiled at a launch event held earlier this week at the Howard Smith Wharves.


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The launch brought together artists and potential subjects ahead of the opening of submissions for the 2024 prize. Attendees also heard from past finalists during a Q&A session.

Now in its sixth year, the Brisbane Portrait Prize has received over 3,200 entries to date, including 466 submissions to the Next Gen category for emerging artists. A total of $428,000 in prize money and grants has been awarded since the competition’s inception.

Photo credit: Brisbane Portrait Prize/Instagram 

“The Brisbane Portrait Prize is proud to play a role in supporting the creative economy in this city, providing opportunity for artists, and telling the stories of Brisbane and its characters,” said BPP board member Lady Jane Edwards.

This year the finalist exhibition will be held at the State Library of Queensland for an extended three-month run, the longest showing since the prize began.

The 2024 Prize consists of two key competitions: the Main Competition, which is open to all entrants 18 and over, and the Next Gen Prize, which is open to entrants 18 and under.

Photo credit: Brisbane Portrait Prize/Instagram 

“We are delighted to be moving into the premier arts precinct in Brisbane, in the heart of South Bank at State Library of Queensland for what will be our most exciting year yet,” said Lady Edwards.

The 2024 chief judge Bree Pickering, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, said she is looking forward to seeing diverse mediums and approaches to portraiture. 

Brisbane Portrait Prize
Chief judge Bree Pickering (Photo credit: brisbaneportraitprize.org)

“I’m expecting to see works across mediums that celebrate the art of portraiture in all its forms. As Chief Judge I’m looking for great artworks that reveal something about you as the artist, about your sitter and importantly, the people of Brisbane,” Ms Pickering said.

Alongside Pickering, the esteemed 2024 judging panel includes Francoise Lane, Artistic Director of Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, and Christine Clark, Head of Curatorial and Collections at Museum Brisbane.

Brisbane Portrait Prize
Last year’s winner of the Lord Mayor’s $50,000 grand prize, made by Indigenous artist Dylan Mooney (Photo credit: brisbaneportraitprize.org)

Entries close on 22 May 2024, giving artists over three months to submit their work. The finalist exhibition will be held at the State Library in August.

The top honour is the Lord Mayor’s Prize of $50,000, presented by Brisbane City Council. Those who will be chosen for the “Support for emerging artists” award will take home $1,000 vouchers from Oxlades.


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The Brisbane Portrait Prize celebrates Brisbane’s portrait artists and encourages engagement with the arts. Any artist with a connection to the city can enter.

Published 20-February-2024