COMPETITIONIn progress

2026 Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize

Macquarie GroupAustraliaAustralia

Winner: Rita Norman — Winner, 2026 Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize, AUD 20,000.

The odds
1

The organiser did not publish how many applied.

  • Shortlist7
  • Finalists10
  • Honourable mentions2
  • Winner1

Winner

Winner, 2026 Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize, AUD 20,000

Rita Norman

agent

Emerging Anangu artist born in Alice Springs who lives and works in Kaltukatjara/Docker River; her painting is grounded in Country, stories and family knowledge.

Work
Tjitji Ngatingka — Rita Norman
Tjitji Ngatingka, 2026 · acrylic on canvas, 122 x 91.5 cmRita Norman, Tjitji NgatingkaSource: macquarie.com

Honourable mentions

2
  • Fiona DaveyMelbourne artist whose practice explores the quietude and complexity of nature's microenvironments.Highly Commended
    Beneath the Dandelion — Fiona Davey
    Beneath the Dandelion, 2025 · relief etching, 44 x 37 cm, edition of 7Fiona Davey, Beneath the DandelionSource: macquarie.com
  • Clare MuellerSydney artist and 2019 National Art School graduate whose practice explores nocturnal streets, graffitied walls and powerlines.Nick Waterlow OAM Highly Commended Award
    Silhouette (power pole) — Clare Mueller
    Silhouette (power pole), 2025 · acrylic and ink on repurposed wood, 105 x 150 cmClare Mueller, Silhouette (power pole)Source: macquarie.com

Finalists

10

Finalist, AUD 1,000 art transport voucher (IAS Fine Art Logistics)

  • Mingming BiancaNational Art School student who reimagines Sydney's CBD from a bird's eye perspective.
    Constructed Urban Psyche — Mingming Bianca
    Constructed Urban Psyche, 2026 · pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper, 37 x 37 cmMingming Bianca, Urban PsycheSource: macquarie.com
  • Marianne BurtonPainter whose work depicts sites of her ngurra (Country) through her great-great grandparents.
    Junpunjunya, Junpunkutja — Marianne Burton
    Junpunjunya, Junpunkutja, 2026 · acrylic on canvas, 122 x 76 cmMarianne Burton, Junpunjunya, JunpunkutjaSource: macquarie.com
  • Renata DudziakPainter whose work addresses suburban development replacing Australia's natural biodiversity.
    Bore — Renata Dudziak
    Bore, 2026 · acrylic on stretched canvas, hi vis tape, 122 x 91.5 cmRenat Dudziak, BoreSource: macquarie.com
  • Edward EssingSydney painter exploring mnemonic and emotional responses to place.
    Autumn landscape — Edward Essing
    Autumn landscape, 2025 · oil on canvas, 52 x 71 cmEdward Essing, Autumn landscapeSource: macquarie.com
  • Mark GowingSydney-based artist whose practice uses systems of visual abstraction that appropriate the negative spaces of the alphabet.
    Language system of counter circles (This one is a song) — Mark Gowing
    Language system of counter circles (This one is a song), 2025 · acrylic, graphite and book pages on aluminium, 73 x 56 cmMark Gowing, Language system of counter circles (This one is a song)Source: macquarie.com
  • Chloe HollidayVictorian artist combining macro photography, animation and moving image to explore relationships between wildlife and perception.
    Gaze of the Forest — Chloe Holliday
    Gaze of the Forest, 2026 · single channel digital video installation, 01:00 loopedChloe Holliday, Gaze of the ForestSource: macquarie.com
  • Gigi MalherbeArtist whose work responds to low-light visual abstraction, made with an infrared night vision camera during a Kangaroo Valley residency.
    Stalker — Gigi Malherbe
    Stalker, 2026 · acrylic and flashe on polycotton, 41 x 122 cmGigi Malherbe, StalkerSource: macquarie.com
  • Kate McKenzie LewisVCA Master of Contemporary Art graduate painting on aluminium sheets, developed during a residency at Shepparton Art Museum.
    She echoes — Kate McKenzie Lewis
    She echoes, 2026 · oil on 10 aluminium sheets, 64 x 104 cmKate McKenzie Lewis, She echoesSource: macquarie.com
  • Daniel SongArtist whose paintings, extracted from surfaces into skin-like PVA sheets, engage with city infrastructure.
    Infrastructure 3 — Daniel Song
    Infrastructure 3, 2025 · PVA, ink, acrylic and ochre, 62 x 77 cmDaniel Song, Infrastructure 3Source: macquarie.com
  • Alice XuSydney artist making collaged paintings of urban Sydney.
    Two birds — Alice Xu
    Two birds, 2026 · oil and acrylic on canvas, 92 x 121 cmAlice Xu, Two birdsSource: macquarie.com

Shortlist

7

Semi-finalist

  • Harry Blizzard
  • Melanie Blue
  • Leon Bowers
  • Tom Duffy
  • Sophia Olivieri
  • Rufus Punton
  • Yang Qiu
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