Artbank Names Judges for Inaugural 2026 Artbank Prize

Artbank has announced the judging panel for its inaugural Artbank Prize, to be awarded in 2026. The panel brings together artist Tony Albert, curator Ellie Buttrose and arts journalist Elizabeth Fortescue, with Artbank Director Zoë Rodriguez chairing the process.

The Artbank Prize is a new open-call, acquisitive award for Australian artists whose work is not yet represented in the Artbank collection. Established as a national initiative, the prize is intended to broaden access to the collection and reflect the range of contemporary practice being produced across the country.

Entries will open on 30 January 2026. One finalist will be selected from each state and territory, with eight finalists presented in an exhibition at Artbank’s Sydney premises. The exhibition will be accompanied by a program of public events focused on the artists and their work. One artist will be awarded the Artbank Prize, with their work acquired into the Artbank collection for up to AUD $20,000.

Submissions will be reviewed by the Artbank curatorial team, Oliver Watts and Paul Adair, alongside the judging panel. The panel was selected independently by Artbank and reflects a cross-section of experience across artistic practice, curating and arts writing.

Artbank Director Zoë Rodriguez said the prize creates a new entry point into the collection for artists across Australia. “The Artbank Prize is about opening up access. It gives artists a clear pathway to be considered for acquisition and ensures the collection continues to grow in step with contemporary practice as it exists now, across different regions and contexts.”

For judge Tony Albert, the prize carries personal weight. His own work entered the Artbank collection early in his career. “That acquisition mattered,” Albert said. “Being included in a national collection gives artists confidence and visibility at a critical point. I’m pleased to be part of a process that offers that opportunity to someone else.”

Albert is widely recognised for a multidisciplinary practice that examines the cultural misrepresentation of Aboriginal people, drawing on personal and collective histories. In 2025 he was awarded the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France. His recent roles include Artistic Director of the National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia and the inaugural First Nations Curatorial Fellow at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Ellie Buttrose brings curatorial experience grounded in large-scale exhibitions and collection development. A Curator at QAGOMA, she oversees Contemporary Australian Art acquisitions and commissions. In 2026 she will curate the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art across the Art Gallery of South Australia, Samstag Museum of Art and Adelaide Botanic Gardens. In 2024 she shared the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the Venice Biennale for the Australia Pavilion, alongside artist Archie Moore.

Journalist Elizabeth Fortescue completes the panel. Based in Sydney, she writes regularly on the art market and contemporary practice, including weekly reporting for The Australian Financial Review and long-term correspondence for The Art Newspaper. Her recent book, Wendy Sharpe: Many Lives, was published in 2024, and she is currently researching a second artist monograph.

Established in 1980, Artbank operates as a federal artist support program with a dual focus on acquisition and public access. The collection holds more than 11,000 works by over 3,500 living Australian artists, with more than half of those works on lease in public and private settings at any given time.

By introducing the Artbank Prize, the organisation is extending that model. The prize places emphasis on artists who have not yet entered the collection, while maintaining a national scope that reflects different local scenes and practices.

Full guidelines for the Artbank Prize will be available via the Artbank website ahead of the opening date.