Watch This Space!
On Saturday I lodged my entry for this year's Bald Archy Award. Modesty (and rules!) prevent me from promoting my entry before the award is announced however, the event, run by the Wagga Wagga City Council, is described as follows.
Australia’s funniest portrait prize turns 30 – Entries open with $10,000 up for grabs
From Federal politicians to reality TV Stars, no celebrity ego is safe from the cockatoo’s judgment! Entries are now open for the 2026 Bald Archy Prize, marking the thirtieth iteration of Australia’s premier satirical portraiture prize.
Artists can enter the $10,000 acquisitive prize for the best comic or satirical portrait of an Australian distinguished in art, science, letters, politics, sport, or the media.
For three decades the Bald Archies have been a foil to the pomposity of the Archibald prize, with its penchant for flattering Australia’s celebrity class. Fittingly, the Bald Archies are judged by a sulphur-crested cockatoo rather than a panel of critics.
After Peter Batey OAM, the prize’s originator, passed away in 2019, the administration of the Bald Archy Prize was taken up by Museum of the Riverina, based in Wagga Wagga.
Tim Kurylowicz, Manager of Museum of the Riverina, said “The Bald Archies have a special place in the hearts of Australians and is a proud product of the regions. “It’s been 30 years of bringing country communities together to have a laugh and enjoy some amazing art, which is a milestone worth celebrating.
“Portraits must be inspired by an event or incident that took place in the 12 months prior to 1 January 2026. With everything from a Federal Election to a MAFS cheating scandal in 2025, there is no shortage of colourful characters deserving the Bald Archy treatment this year.
“When selecting a winner, our wise judge Maude the Cockatoo looks for works that are funny and insightful, she’s not into ‘hate portraiture’ or ‘soap box art’ that brow-beats its audience.”
Each year the Bald Archy Prize opens at the Watson Art Centre in Canberra where the launch of the exhibition is held, and the winner is announced. Following this, the exhibition goes on a year-long tour of regional NSW and Victoria, before completing its journey at Museum of the Riverina - Historic Council Chambers site. In 2025, 48 portraits were entered into the Bald Archy Prize, with Sydney-based artist Phil Meatchem announced as the winner for his painting Despicable Ploy, a satire of former leader of the opposition Peter Dutton.
The winner of last year's "peoples' Choice Award" will also be announced at the 2026 launch on12 February.
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