Thirty finalists were selected from more than 1,000 entries in the 2026 photographic competition which has a $30,000 cash prize for first place. This year’s winner is Nathan Beard’s portrait of his Thai-born aunt Mae Khong, who was recuperating after a debilitating fall. Judges said Beard’s portrait has an ‘immediate and compelling emotional pull’ and offers an insight into the relationship between the artist and subject. The exhibition is on now at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra