Next year’s Brisbane Portrait Prize winner will be a lot richer, thanks to a major cash boost that hikes The Lord’s Mayor Prize to $75,000.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Brisbane Portrait Prize chair Anna Reynolds say the cash injection will bring the overall prize pool, including grants, to $139,500, placing Brisbane Portrait Prize firmly alongside the biggest prizes of Australia’s art scene.

The announcement follows another successful Brisbane Portrait Prize season, with finalists now showing at the State Library of Queensland.

Attendance at the finalists’ show has grown 71 per cent over the past two years, with an average of 452 people visiting the exhibition daily. This strong attendance reflects the Brisbane Portrait Prize’s growing reputation and position as a staple of the city’s annual cultural calendar.

Since its launch eight years ago, Brisbane Portrait Prize has grown into a national event that offers a unique perspective on the stories – large and small – that exist across Brisbane, preserving the city’s identity and supporting both established and emerging artists.

You might like

Commentary

Fly me to the moon … digital outreach program takes off

Books & Poetry

A brush with verse: When painter and poet are one

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says supporting local artists is an important part of celebrating Brisbane’s unique identity.

You might like

Commentary

Fly me to the moon … digital outreach program takes off

Books & Poetry

A brush with verse: When painter and poet are one

“Brisbane is a city full of talented artists who help tell the stories of our people, places and communities,” says Schrinner. “Brisbane Portrait Prize is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate local creativity while capturing the people and places that make our home so special.

“As our city continues to grow and change, it’s important we celebrate our history, embrace our identity and support the artists who bring Brisbane’s stories to life.”

This significant uplift to the prize pool reflects deepening support from Brisbane City Council, which acquires the winning portrait each year. (This year’s winner of the Lord Mayor’s Prize was Pat Hoffie for her portrait titled Family Birthday (QLD), which depicts her 101-year-old father.)

Brisbane Portrait Prize chair Anna Reynolds shared her excitement for the significant impact this will have on Brisbane’s art community, furthering access and opportunity for local artists.

“This is now a cultural event of national significance that showcases the talent of our artists and the character of our people,” Reynolds says. “As the world’s attention turns to Brisbane over the next six years, a place-based prize like this embodies our city, our arts, our culture and our character.

“Brisbane City Council’s ongoing support of the prize is important in continuing to build the capacity of the artists and arts industry workers – and the creative economy more broadly.

“We are grateful for how engaged our audiences, artists and partners are – their support helps us reinforce the prize’s role within the city’s cultural life and increases visibility of Brisbane artists and stories through exhibitions, events and public programming.”

The current Brisbane Portrait Prize Finalists Exhibition, at the Gallery of the State Library of Queensland, closes on November 8. The Salon des Refuses will be showcased at Brisbane Powerhouse from November 18 to December 13, featuring more of the artists, sitters and stories drawn from this year’s entries.

This is the first time the Salon des Refuses will be held at Brisbane Powerhouse, building on the prize’s longstanding connection with the venue that was its home for its first five years.

“Eight years after the Brisbane Portrait Prize first began on the walls of Brisbane Powerhouse, we now share a richer story, a broader community and another collection of portraits asking us to look, consider and perhaps see one another and our world a little differently,” Reynolds says.

Brisbane Portrait Prize is a contemporary portraiture competition showcasing artists and the unique character of Brisbane while encouraging public engagement with the arts. Any artist with a connection to Brisbane is eligible to enter.

brisbaneportraitprize.org/exhibition