Victoria Reichelt wins the 2026 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize

Geelong Gallery has announced Victoria Reichelt as the winner of the 2026 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, receiving the $30,000 acquisitive award for her painting Strawberry slippage (2026).

Selected from 506 entries submitted by artists across Australia, Reichelt’s work will enter the Geelong Gallery Collection, continuing the Gallery’s longstanding commitment to supporting contemporary Australian painting.

The winning painting depicts an elaborately decorated birthday cake against a blurred bookshelf. Exploring the pressures and pleasures of parenthood, the work reflects on the shifting priorities of family, personal and professional life.

The judging panel praised Reichelt’s technical skill and the painting’s conceptual depth, highlighting the interplay between the detailed, photorealistic cake and the blurred background as a metaphor for the changing focus of everyday life.

The judging panel comprised Humphrey Clegg, Director & CEO, Geelong Gallery; Lisa Sullivan, Assistant Director, Curatorial, Geelong Gallery; and Lauren Ellis, Curatorial Manager, Bendigo Art Gallery.

The Geelong Contemporary Art Prize celebrates excellence and innovation in contemporary Australian painting. The Gallery’s tradition of acquisitive painting prizes dates to the Geelong Centenary Art Competition in 1938, with successive awards contributing to the development of its permanent collection.

Reichelt’s winning painting joins her earlier work Flood (2014) in the Geelong Gallery Collection.

The 2026 exhibition presents works by 36 finalists, representing a diverse range of approaches to contemporary painting, and is supported by the Dimmick Foundation.

Exhibition details

2026 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize

Dates: 7 November 2026 – 28 February 2027

Venue: Geelong Gallery, Little Malop Street, Geelong, Victoria

Admission: Free

Further information: Geelong Gallery – 2026 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize Winner

Exhibition: 2026 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize