Yolŋu artist Gaypalani Waṉambi has won the $50,000 2026 Wynne Prize for her etching on metal depicting Wuyal, an important ancestor of the Marrakulu clan.

Gaypalani Waṉambi, The Waṉambi tree (recto and verso), 2026, spray paint on etched steel, 240 × 240cm / Winner of the 2026 Wynne Prize / © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter
Depicted is the artist’s songlines of the Marakulu clan and ancestral honey hunter, Wuyal, the large-scale double-sided work comprising intricate markings of the lifecycle of bees, honey, and stringybark blossom found in her homeland in the Northern Territory.