The Lester Prize

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The Lester Prize The Lester Inc is a not-for-profit organisation. We are the creator of The Lester Prize, one of Australia's most prestigious portraiture fine art prizes.

The Lester Prize provides the opportunity to engage with the best of the artform each year in a format that puts the artists and community front-and-centre.

Ever wanted to try oil painting? Here’s your chance to learn from a Lester Prize finalist!🖌️ As part of the Main Awards ...
16/10/2026

Ever wanted to try oil painting? Here’s your chance to learn from a Lester Prize finalist!🖌️

As part of the Main Awards Exhibition, we’re offering a series of Finalist-led workshops. Next up is Lucinda Tassone, the artist behind “Beauty was shattered as light in a prism and she could not gather the rays together again”, with her workshop: Human, Object and Oils.

In this introductory oil painting class, you’ll learn a range of classic and contemporary techniques, including glazing and underpainting. Lucinda will share her palette and painting process in a 20-minute demonstration, then you’ll move to your own canvas board with one-on-one feedback from Lucinda. You can choose to paint either a human or an object, reflecting the subject matter of Lucinda’s own practice.

No experience needed, just bring your curiosity!

🎟️ Registration is $60
📍 Thursday 5 November, WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth
🕰️ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
🔗 Book now through our link in the comments.

Take the portraits home with you!📖The LESTER 26 Exhibition Book is now available, and it’s the perfect companion to this...
15/10/2026

Take the portraits home with you!📖
The LESTER 26 Exhibition Book is now available, and it’s the perfect companion to this year’s exhibition.

Inside, you’ll find full-colour reproductions of all 40 finalists’ works, alongside artist statements and the stories behind each portrait. It’s a lasting record of this year’s prize and the diverse voices shaping Australian portraiture today.

Whether you want to revisit your favourites or find the perfect gift for the art lover in your life, it’s yours for just $35.

📍 Pick up your copy at the WA Museum Boola Bardip Shop
💻 Or order online through our link in comment.

Voting is OPEN for the 2026 Baldock Family People’s Choice Award!Now it’s your turn to be the judge. Choose your favouri...
14/10/2026

Voting is OPEN for the 2026 Baldock Family People’s Choice Award!

Now it’s your turn to be the judge. Choose your favourite work from this year’s finalists and help one artist take home $15,000, proudly supported by the Baldock Family. And it’s not just the artists who could win: one lucky voter will take home a night’s stay at the Alex Hotel & Shadow Bar & Kitchen!

🏛️ Visit in person:
Head to WA Museum Boola Bardip Boola Bardip in the City of Perth to see the finalists face-to-face and cast your vote at our onsite kiosks.

💻 Or vote online:
Explore our 360 virtual tour, browse the artworks and vote for your favourite through the online form via our link in comment.

Winners will be announced across The Lester Prize’s social media channels on Friday 11 December 2026.

✨ Learn from a Lester Prize winner! ✨Join Yasamin Khadembashi, winner of the 2026 $10,000 Ashurst Perkins Coie Emerging ...
13/10/2026

✨ Learn from a Lester Prize winner! ✨
Join Yasamin Khadembashi, winner of the 2026 $10,000 Ashurst Perkins Coie Emerging Artist Prize and the artist behind “Immoral Warrior”, in her workshop: Piping Paint: Celebrating Pattern, Texture and Colour. 🎨

Participants will be introduced to Yasamin’s sculptural painting process through a hands-on paint piping workshop using Langridge Impasto Oil Paint and disposable piping bags. The session explores how ornament, pattern and texture can be translated into contemporary painting, drawing inspiration from cultural, floral and decorative motifs. You’ll create your own small painting while learning about preparing paint, transferring it into piping bags and building raised surfaces.

This is a rare chance to learn the techniques behind a prize-winning work, straight from the artist herself.

🎟️ Registration is $60
📍 Thursday 29 October, WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth
🕰️ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
🔗 Book now through our link in comment

The winner of the 2026 $25,000 Tony Fini Foundation Artist’s Prize is Ben Howe Art!Chosen by the finalists of The Lester...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $25,000 Tony Fini Foundation Artist’s Prize is Ben Howe Art!

Chosen by the finalists of The Lester Prize 2026:

Artist Statement: “I was looking for simplicity and honesty with this painting, which is attempting to capture something only half understood. Matilda projects a pensive yet clam melancholy. I painted her as if she were in between places, contemplating the past and looking into the future. I gave particular attention to her posture, the sense of space and the tenor of the colours, using delicate and subdued tones to convey a fleeting yet timeless moment.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Ben Howe, Matilda in blue, 2026. Oil on panel, 42 x 30 cm.

The winner of the 2026 $15,000 Barton Family Foundation Installer’s Prize is Sky Parra Art!Comment provided by Boris Mel...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $15,000 Barton Family Foundation Installer’s Prize is Sky Parra Art!

Comment provided by Boris Melentis, Senior Technical Officer, on behalf of the Install Team at WA Museum Boola Bardip:

“The artist has captured the sitter's anguish with remarkable accuracy, using the subject's gaze to convey an intense emotional narrative.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Sky Parra, Portrait of Scott Austic, 2025. Oil, oil stick, pastel and graphite on canvas, 122 x 112 cm.

The winner of the 2026 $5,000 Eyewall Foundation Highly Commended Prize is Sharon Billinge!Judges' comments provided by ...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $5,000 Eyewall Foundation Highly Commended Prize is Sharon Billinge!

Judges' comments provided by Alan Dodge AM, John McDonald and Bryony Nainby:

“A very touching picture capturing the emotion conveyed in the artist’s friend’s battle with terminal cancer. The red-rimmed eyes capture the suffering of the subject, while the facial expression conveys a sense of dignity. The economy of paint, used thinly on the wood, enhances the fragility of the subject.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Sharon Billinge, Celeste 3, 2025. Oil on board, 23 x 15 cm

The winner of the 2026 $5,000 The Montauk Lighting Co. Highly Commended Prize is Kim Harding!Judges' comments provided b...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $5,000 The Montauk Lighting Co. Highly Commended Prize is Kim Harding!

Judges' comments provided by Alan Dodge AM, John McDonald and Bryony Nainby:

“In this confident self-portrait, the subject appears almost like a relief sculpture emerging from a flat, wallpaper-like background of banksias. The contrast between the dimensionality of the figure and the decorative flatness of the background is handled with remarkable assurance. Rich in detail, the artist has provided a visual essay of technical bravado.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Kim Harding, Kim with black cockatoo, 2025. Oil on canvas, 122 x 61 cm.

The winner of the 2026 $20,000 Minderoo Foundation Emerging Artist Prize is Dapeng Liu!Judges' comments provided by Alan...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $20,000 Minderoo Foundation Emerging Artist Prize is Dapeng Liu!

Judges' comments provided by Alan Dodge AM, John McDonald and Bryony Nainby:

“The judges were struck by this compelling portrait of prominent arts patron and philanthropist, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AM, wearing a worker’s cap, a reference to his father’s history as a young migrant worker. Guido’s direct gaze conveys determination and an air of dignity. The judges particularly admired the commanding scale of the face, the naturalistic rendering of skin through expressive, lively brushwork, and small details which further animate the portrait, particularly the white highlights in the eyes which draw the viewer into direct engagement with the subject.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Dapeng Liu, Guido, 2026. Oil on canvas, 94 x 69 cm.

The winner of the 2026 $10,000 Ashurst Perkins Coie Emerging Artist Prize is Yasamin Khadembashi!Judges' comments provid...
09/10/2026

The winner of the 2026 $10,000 Ashurst Perkins Coie Emerging Artist Prize is Yasamin Khadembashi!

Judges' comments provided by Alan Dodge AM, John McDonald and Bryony Nainby:

“Bold, striking and ambitious, the work impressed the judges through its imaginative and adventurous use of materials. Monumental in scale and heroic in conception, it brings political ideas into a fantastical setting with a confidence that extends across subject, technique and form. The judges particularly admired the artist’s willingness to take risks, embracing material experimentation and dramatic scale to create a work of considerable presence and vitality. The artist did not play it safe, but their bravery paid off.”

You can view this year’s Winners through our link in comments.

The Lester Prize for Portraiture Main Awards exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the City of Perth.

Image credit: Yasamin Khadembashi, Immoral warrior, 2026. Piped impasto oil paint, rhinestone, synthetic eyelash extensions and metal-leaf (copper, silver and gold) on linen, 197 x 101 cm.

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Nedlands, WA

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+61894235116

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