The Moran Arts Foundation has announced 150 semi-finalists for its annual Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, believed to be the world’s most valuable portrait prize.
The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize awards an acquisitive prize of $150,000 to the winner, plus $1,000 to each of 30 finalists.
This annual competition, established as part of Australia’s bi-centennial celebrations in 1988, has grown to be one of the country’s most prestigious art awards, attracting almost 1,000 entries in 2014, up ten percent on last year’s entries.
The competition invites entries of original works from Australian artists, capturing Australians from all walks of life, whether a public figure or someone from their own circle of experience.
Thirty of these works will be selected as finalists and be on display at the 2014 Doug Moran National 
Portrait Prize exhibition, which will be open to the public free of charge throughout the summer, from October 29, 2014, to February 15, 2015, at Juniper Hall in Paddington, Sydney.
The exhibition will also include finalists in Australia’s most valuable contemporary photography award, the Moran Contemporary Photography Prize, offering $50,000 to the winner, and $1,000 to 30 finalists.
Entries to the Photography Prize remain open until September 15.
The winners of the 2014 Moran Art Prizes will be announced on October 28.
Edmund Capon AM OBE, co-judge of the Doug 
Moran National Portrait Prize 2014 (alongside artist Lewis Miller), commented on the process of narrowing down the 1,000 entries to 150 semi-finalists:
“As a judge you are very consciously looking and selecting a number of works from a very large number of entries, with a view to putting together an exhibition that you hope is going to say something about the state of portrait painting in Australia. I feel that it’s good to have a broad spread of styles and attitudes and ways of interpreting the human condition. If I saw something that was very unusual, that spoke to me, I wanted it to be included.”
Images:
Anthony Bennett, study for a portrait of reg
Louise Hearman, Bill-1383
James Powditch Powditch, Ben Quilty – and I am not afraid to die.
