SYDNEY.- A vibrant rendition of a loving father, an homage to a 93-year-old great grandmother, a tongue-in-cheek tribute to a resourceful grandfather, and a detailed self-portrait depicting the rich inner life of a teenage girl are the winners announced today by the Art Gallery of New South Wales of the 2025 Young Archie competition.

Now in its 13th year, the annual Young Archie competition is a national portrait challenge for young artists inspired by Australia’s oldest and most famous portrait prize, the Archibald Prize. The competition invites young people between the ages of 5 and 18 to submit a portrait of someone who is special to them. The Young Archie 2025 competition winners for each age category were announced during a special ceremony for finalists and their families at the Art Gallery this morning. The winners are:

• 5–8 years category: Logan Zhang, 6, Carlingford, NSW, for his portrait of his father

• 9–12 years category: Isobel Bazar, 11, Teven, NSW, for her portrait of her great grandmother

• 13–15 years category: Tasha Rogoff, 15, Dover Heights, NSW, for her portrait of her grandfather

• 16–18 years category: Jasmine Rose Lancaster Merton, 16, North Narrabeen, NSW, for her self-portrait

Finalists and winners were selected from more than 3200 entries received from across Australia by artist and guest judge Jumaadi, alongside the Art Gallery of New South Wales family programs manager Victoria Collings. They selected 70 finalists for display at the Art Gallery across four age categories.

Jumaadi said: ‘It has been an honour to judge the Young Archie competition this year, albeit very difficult to select only four winners from an extremely impressive group of entries. It’s very inspiring to witness the next generation of artists discovering their gifts. I hope every entrant is proud of what they’ve achieved, and they continue to reap the rewards of artistic expression.’

A highlight on the Art Gallery’s annual exhibition program, the Young Archie competition was first introduced in 2013 as an opportunity for young people to engage with portraiture and have their work exhibited at the Art Gallery alongside the annual Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition.

Art Gallery of New South Wales director Maud Page said: ‘Each year, the Young Archie exhibition proves to be a crowd favourite, as visitors marvel at the extraordinary talent of our young artists. It’s so good to see so many young people, as well as their family and friends, represented on the walls of the Art Gallery. I extend my congratulations to this year’s winners, finalists and entrants, and encourage them to continue making, creating and exploring the world around them through art.’

ANZ Institutional group executive Mark Whelan said: ‘Congratulations to the four winners of the 2025 Young Archie competition, who have been selected from thousands of entries and recognised for their exceptional creativity. As the presenting partner since the competition’s inception, ANZ is proud to champion Australia’s budding artists and celebrate this esteemed prize for the 13th consecutive year.’

The four winners each receive a cash prize of $200 from ANZ, an art hamper, a family pass to a ticketed exhibition at the Art Gallery and an Archibald Prize 2025 catalogue. All remaining finalists each receive a cash prize of $50 from ANZ, an art pack and an Archibald Prize 2025 catalogue.

All selected works in the Young Archie 2025 competition are on display for the first time prominently in the John Kaldor Family Hall on the ground level of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Naala Nura building, in conjunction with the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025 exhibition until 17 August 2025.

These works are also displayed on the Art Gallery website as part of the prizes archive, along with all Young Archie winners, finalists and honourable mentions since 2013.