It's always interesting to see the mix of Archibald finalists. Here is a simple breakdown of repeat finalists for 2025 and for those that haven't made it before, other finalist exhibitions they appeared in.
Please note - we don't have a list of all finalist exhibitions in Australia, only those 80 or so that we follow.
Archibald Prize 2025 — Finalists & Prior Appearances
A full list of all finalists, sorted by surname, with counts and years of any prior Archibald finalist appearances (artist_id–based). Fonts are sans-serif; rows are striped for readability.
| Stats | Value |
|---|---|
| Total 2025 finalists | 58 |
| Re-entrants (≥1 prior appearance) | 25 (43%) |
| First-time finalists | 33 (57%) |
| Most prior appearances (artist) | 10 (Tsering Hannaford) |
| Median prior appearances among re-entrants | 4* |
* When we looked at how often artists return as Archibald finalists, we used the median rather than the average. That’s because a few artists have been selected many times over the years, which can make the average seem higher than what’s typical.
The median simply finds the middle point — the experience of the artist who sits right in the centre of the group. It tells a more balanced story about what’s normal for most finalists, without being skewed by the handful of long-term regulars.So, for this year's finalists the median value is 4 prior appearances.
| Artist (Surname, Firstname) | Prior Appearances | Years Previously Finalist |
|---|---|---|
| Abdullah, Abdul | 4 | 2011, 2014, 2016, 2023 |
| Adolphs, Clara | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
| Ashton, Jessica | 1 | 2017 |
| Azimitabar, Mostafa | 2 | 2022, 2024 |
| Bain, Billy | 0 | — |
| Bieniek, Natasha | 9 | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Brennan, Angela | 1 | 2023 |
| Bridgeman, Yuriyal Eric | 0 | — |
| Cairns, Mitch | 5 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2023 |
| Calandra, Mathew | 0 | — |
| Chen, Peter Ke Heng | 0 | — |
| Coad, Rachel | 0 | — |
| Coppersmith, Yvette | 7 | 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023 |
| Cornish, Luke | 3 | 2012, 2019, 2023 |
| Dalton, Jonathan | 6 | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Domergue, Christophe | 0 | — |
| Duan, Whitney | 1 | 2024 |
| Eden, Jeremy | 2 | 2021, 2022 |
| Faint, Remy | 0 | — |
| Fairbairn, David | 5 | 2000, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2016 |
| Ferguson, Timothy | 0 | — |
| Fielding, Zaachariaha | 1 | 2024 |
| Fragar, Julie | 3 | 2000, 2003, 2020 |
| Gold, Linda | 0 | — |
| Grantford, Jaq | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Gray, Yolande | 0 | — |
| Hannaford, Tsering | 10 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Jones, Brittany | 0 | — |
| Kammer, Solomon | 1 | 2022 |
| Kelly, Madeleine | 0 | — |
| Kim, Daniel | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Leighton-Dore, Bronte | 0 | — |
| Lewer, Richard | 4 | 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Lowry, Fiona | 4 | 2011, 2014, 2021, 2022 |
| Mac, Col | 0 | — |
| Maree, Kelly | 1 | 2024 |
| McGuiness, Catherine | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| McInnis, Kerry | 1 | 2015 |
| Namatjira, Vincent | 5 | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 |
| O'Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa), Chris | 1 | 2007 |
| Park, Sassy | 0 | — |
| Pattni, Sid | 0 | — |
| Pelham, Meagan | 2 | 2022, 2024 |
| Phu, Jason | 3 | 2014, 2015, 2023 |
| Robertson, Adrian | 1 | 2024 |
| Ross, Joan | 2 | 2021, 2022 |
| Ryan, Sally | 2 | 2013, 2023 |
| Shipard, Evan | 0 | — |
| Spirovsky, Loribelle | 3 | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Srivilasa, Vipoo | 0 | — |
| Thackway, Clare | 2 | 2019, 2023 |
| Walsh, Natasha | 7 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Wegner, Peter | 5 | 2000, 2011, 2016, 2020, 2021 |
| Whiskey, Kaylene | 2 | 2020, 2023 |
| Wills, Marcus | 8 | 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024 |
| Worsfold, Callum | 0 | — |
| Wright, JESWRI (Jesse) | 0 | — |
| Zentner, Lucila | 0 | — |
Archibald 2025 — First-Time Finalists & Other Finalist Exhibitions (2023–2025)
Alphabetical by surname. Based strictly on artist_id for prior-Archibald checks; names shown for readability.
|
Artist (Surname, Firstname) |
Other Finalist Exhibitions (2023–2025) |
|---|---|
| (Wright), JESWRI (Jesse) | — |
| Bain, Billy | Sir John Sulman Prize (2023), Wynne Prize (2025) |
| Bridgeman, Yuriyal Eric | Ramsay Art Prize (2023) |
| Calandra, Mathew | — |
| Chen, Peter Ke Heng | — |
| Coad, Rachel | Portia Geach Memorial Award (2024) |
| Domergue, Christophe | Dobell Prize for Drawing (2023), Milburn Art Prize (2024) |
| Faint, Remy | Gosford Art Prize (2023), Mosman Art Prize (2024) |
| Ferguson, Timothy | — |
| Gold, Linda | Portia Geach Memorial Award (2025) |
| Gray, Yolande | 9×5 Landscape Prize (2024) |
| Jones, Brittany | Portia Geach Memorial Award (2025), Still: National Still Life Award (2023) |
| Kelly, Madeleine | — |
| Leighton-Dore, Bronte | Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (2025), Northern Beaches Art Prize (2024) |
| Mac, Col | Brisbane Portrait Prize (2025), Lethbridge Landscape Prize (2024) |
| Park, Sassy | Georges River Art Prize (2025), Meroogal Women’s Art Prize (2025) |
| Pattni, Sid | Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize (2023), Kennedy Prize (2024) |
| Shipard, Evan | Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award (2024), Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (2025) |
| Srivilasa, Vipoo | Alice Prize (2024), Deakin University Contemporary Art Award (2025) |
| Worsfold, Callum | 9×5 Landscape Prize (2024), KAAF Art Prize (2024) |
| Zentner, Lucila | National Capital Art Prize (2023) |
By Martin Shub Nov 2025
