By arts editor Helen Musa

Painter Elizabeth Burton has won Best in Show at the Artists Society of Canberra’s 2026 Spring Exhibition for her acrylic work, This Golden Land, which judges praised for its lively application of paint and combination of translucent and opaque areas.

The exhibition was officially opened on Saturday evening by ACT Arts Minister Michael Pettersson at Kingston’s Fitters Workshop, attracting a large crowd keen to hear the verdict of judges, artist Nick Offer and arts administrator Monika McInerney.

Featuring more than 270 works by over 70 members, the exhibition spans acrylics, digital art, drawing, mixed media, oils, pastels, printmaking, watercolour, gouache and miniatures.

The judges noted the strength of the digital art, printmaking and watercolour categories, and described Burton’s winning work as “Rewarding to see both at a distance and close up…The whole effect is both lively and convincing. A stand out”.

The Spring Exhibition continues at Kingston’s Fitters Workshop, November 7-15, closing November 15. Closed November 9.

Full list of 2026 awards:

• Best in Show: Elizabeth Burton, This Golden Land (acrylic).
• Best Landscape: Camelia Smith, Canberra Scenes: Knight Park Waterlily Pond (watercolour and gouache).
• Best Abstract: Hilary Warren, Waratah Florets (printmaking).
• Best Portrait or Figure: Stephen Clively, Face Value (mixed media).
• Best Flora, Fauna or Still Life: Camelia Smith, Still Life With Magnolia (watercolour and gouache).

Category awards:

• Acrylics: 1st Annette Rennie, Aroi – Fisherman; 2nd Sue-Anne Martiniello, Veins of the Earth; 3rd Alex Mortensen, Where Are You All?
• Digital: 1st Nyree Mason, The Heart Burns; 2nd Bobby Graham, The Gathering.
• Drawing: 1st Michael Smithson, Exposed Root; 2nd Tim Hardy, Old Gum; 3rd Sukhvinder Saggu, Orange Trio.
• Miniatures: 1st Oliver Cheng, Lily and its Double; 2nd Fenja T Ringl, Kurrajong Seed Pods; 3rd Sukhvinder Saggu, Easy Breakfast.
• Mixed Media and Other: 1st Stephen Clively, Meat Slicing (mille vino); 2nd Marijke Gilchrist, Among the Trees; 3rd Jenny Munn, The Last Orange.
• Oils: 1st Alex Lynn, Carwoola Bridge; 2nd Alex Lynn, Last Light on Tallaganda; 3rd Mark Redzic, From Urambi Hill.
• Pastels: 1st Ian Bignall, Yarralumla Poplars; 2nd Hideko Pentony, Low Tide; 3rd Rebecca Gray, Flinders After the Rain.
• Printmaking: 1st Fenja T Ringl, Crossing Nursery Swamp; 2nd Tim Hardy, Early Morning, Hawkesbury River; 3rd Hilary Warren, Bermagui – Horseshoe Bay.
• Watercolour and Gouache: 1st Robyn Diener, Nourlangie Rocks, Kakadu; 2nd Ekaterina Mortensen, Life is Just a Swirl; 3rd Maxine Sumner, Beach Walk With Dog.
• Highly Commended: Oliver Cheng, Koi Gyre.

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