2026 Koori Mail Indigenous Art Award finalist artwork by Michelle Anderson: Kanpala 2025, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 137 x 110 cm. Courtesy the artist, Spinifex Arts Project and Vivien Anderson Gallery. Some of Australia’s most exciting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists will compete for $23,000 in prize money in Lismore this year, as finalists are announced for the 2026 Koori Mail Indigenous Art Award. Run nationally from Lismore Regional Gallery in partnership with the Koori Mail Newspaper, the biennial award has grown into a significant platform for contemporary Indigenous art, attracting artists from across Australia and spanning painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, moving image and fibre art. This year’s prize pool has expanded to $23,000, with the Major Award doubling from $10,000 in 2024 to $20,000 and a new $3,000 Youth Award for artists aged 18 to 25. Lismore Regional Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM welcomed the announcement of this year’s finalists. “This award demonstrates that nationally significant contemporary art does not have to be centred in a capital city. From Lismore, we are providing a national platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and bringing extraordinary work from across Australia to audiences in regional NSW,” Ms Muddiman said. “Combined with the Youth Award this year, the shortlist highlights incredible fresh talent alongside established artists whose work commands attention on the national stage. It promises to be an inspiring and powerful exhibition that we are honoured to present.” The 2026 finalists are: Major Award Finalists Michelle Anderson, Kieron Anderson, Sonya Breckenridge, Luke Close, Ralph Close, Chris Curtis, Louise Daniels, Joe Dhamanydji, Jodie Dowd, Troy Firebrace, Margaret Rarru Garrawurra, Donna Gayford McLaren, Maddison Gibbs, Jodie Harris, Melinda Ingram, Clare Jaque Vasquez, Kieren Karritpul, Virginia Keft, Jaymi Lawrence, Tara Lloyd, Zali Morgan, Amber Morris, Kent Morris, Jodie Munday, Gail Naden, Ian Nicholas, Tracey Piccoli, Ross Potter, Brandi Salmon, Damien Shen, Kyle Slabb, Valerie Smith, Jasmin Stanford, Douglas Tamwoy, Anthony Walker and Jeremy Worrall. Youth Award Finalists Cameron Cooper, Keesia Close, Levi Roberts, Monique Vuong and Mayarr Yanner. This year’s entries are being judged by Yorta Yorta curator, writer and academic Dr Kimberley Moulton, Senior Curator Exhibitions at Melbourne’s RISING festival and former Adjunct Curator of Indigenous Art at London’s Tate Modern. Reflecting on the shortlisted works, Dr Moulton praised the remarkable breadth and strength of the entries. “It’s an honour to judge this year’s Koori Mail Art Award. With a diverse combination of local and national works, city based and regional, it’s an incredibly strong year with artists sharing their stories, connections to country and culture,” Dr Moulton said. Koori Mail Cultural Lead Trevor Kapeen said the award created opportunities for First Nations artists to share their work with a national audience. “Every year this award brings a magnificent gathering of First Nations artistic talent into focus,” Mr Kapeen said. “For the Koori Mail, supporting these artists is about creating tangible opportunities for national visibility and cultural exchange. We congratulate all the 2026 finalists and look forward to celebrating their achievements when the exhibition opens.” Finalists will come together at Lismore Regional Gallery for a major exhibition opening on 7 November, putting regional NSW at the centre of a national showcase of established and emerging Indigenous artistic talent. Council and the Lismore Regional Gallery are incredibly thankful to the generosity of the major sponsors, the Koori Mail Newspaper and Hurford Hardwood, and to the Friends of the Gallery for their contributions to the prize pool. EVENT DETAILS 2026 Koori Mail Indigenous Art Award Exhibition
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