By arts editor HELEN MUSA

Melbourne photographer Nathan Beard has won the final National Photographic Portrait Prize, it was announced at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday evening.

Gallery director Bree Pickering revealed the winner at the opening of the 2026 exhibition, with Beard receiving a $30,000 cash prize from the gallery and $20,000 worth of equipment from Canon Australia.

Beard’s winning work is a striking portrait of his Thai-born aunt, Mae Khong, recuperating after a fall. Unusually, the photograph shows its subject from behind rather than revealing her face, capturing her bathing independently following one of several recent health scares.

Judges Bree Pickering, Parker Philip, Gillian Raymond and Mark Mohell praised the image for its “immediate and compelling emotional pull”.

“Even though we can’t see the subject’s face, we are drawn into a connection with her,” the judges said.

Beard described Mae Khong as “the only surviving member of her generation in my immediate family” and said the photograph explored themes of resilience, family and cultural identity.

“Her flesh and memory are vital to sustaining my relationship with our cultural legacy,” he said.

“Insisting she bathe herself independently, her resilience in this vulnerable state is evident in the image and allows me to share the potent strength and intimacy of bonds which forge my sense of cultural pride and belonging.”

The awards ceremony also recognised emerging photographer Phuong Nguyen Le, who won the $3000 First Time Finalist Award for a portrait of his father, Le Ngoc Long, created to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the American War in Vietnam.

Earlier this week, Hussein Abdirahman Mohamud was announced as the recipient of the $3000 Art Handlers’ Award for UNTITLED: 01 (2025), from his series What remains?

This year’s exhibition marks the end of an era for one of Australia’s most significant photographic awards. Established in 2007, the National Photographic Portrait Prize will be replaced by a new prize format next year.

To mark the occasion, a retrospective exhibition accompanies the 2026 finalists, tracing the evolution of photographic portraiture showcased by the prize over nearly two decades.

The exhibition features 30 finalists from across Australia and offers a broad survey of contemporary portrait photography, from intimate family studies to explorations of identity, culture and community.

A $10,000 People’s Choice Award will be announced in early October.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize is showing at the National Portrait Gallery from August 22 to October 11 before embarking on a national tour.

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