Bald Archy Awards returns to National Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour

AUSTRALIA’S most irreverent portrait award, The Bald Archy, opens at the National Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour on 24 April.

Created in 1994 by the late Peter Batey OAM, the Bald Archy is considered Australia’s premier satirical art prize.

Parodying the Archibald Prize, it is judged by sulphur-crested cockatoo Maude.

This year’s winner, Emperor Australis by Mark Davis, will be one of the 70 original artworks on display until Sunday 24 May.

It is a coup for the gallery as it is the only location in northeastern NSW to have the prize on display.

“We’re very excited to host the Bald Archy Prize this year, not only because it’s an amazing exhibition, but also because it’s the only place you’ll see it within the region,” gallery manager Bruce Nelson said.

“This is the prize’s landmark 30th year. It is a diverse and entertaining reflection on the people that have made an impression over the last year.

“It also provides a great platform for artists from across the country to showcase their talent and wit during what some see as very serious times.”

This year’s winner of the $10,000 2026 Bald Archy Prize “Emperor Australis”, is a clever play on Jacques-Louis David’s iconic Napoleon Crossing the Alps, with Mark Davis’s painting depicting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a heroic yet hilarious pose, swapping a stallion for a kangaroo as he conquers the Australian landscape.

This year marked a milestone for the prize, which received a record number of entries from across the country.

A significant influx of new artists bring fresh perspectives to the tradition of Australian satire with multiple depictions of Bob Katter, Pauline Hanson, Barnaby Joyce, and the Prime Minister.

The Bunker Gallery features both the National Cartoon Gallery and the National Holden Motor Museum.

By Andrea FERRARI