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Artbank Prize 2026 winner Elyas Alavi with artwork 'Face to Face', Artbank Sydney. Photo: Jessica Maurer.
Sydney, 3 September 2026 – Artbank is pleased to announce Elyas Alavi (VIC) as the winner of the inaugural Artbank Prize, a new national acquisitive prize established to support outstanding contemporary Australian artists and create an open pathway into the Artbank collection.
Selected from a field of 742 applicants from across Australia, Elyas Alavi was chosen from eight state and territory finalists by an expert judging panel comprising artist Tony Albert, curator Ellie Buttrose and arts journalist Elizabeth Fortescue.
As the inaugural Artbank Prize winner, Alavi’s work, Face to Face, will be acquired into the Artbank collection, securing its place within one of Australia’s most significant contemporary art collections and enabling it to be shared with audiences nationwide.
To read the extended media release click the link below.
