Sydney-based artist Monica Rani Rudhar has been announced as the Professional Artist Prize winner of the 2026 Ravenswood Australian Women Art Prize, for her ceramic artwork, When both shall meet, winning $35,000 in Australia’s highest-value professional artist prize for women.
Jade Oakley, Art Prize Patron and judge, said Monica’s winning work ‘is a refreshingly unique connection to cultural heritage and an exciting, contemporary artwork. We were impressed with Rudhar’s overscaled representation of traditional Indian jewellery as a monument to cultural identity and the intimacy of love between mother and daughter, husband and wife.’
The Emerging Artist Prize, supported by the Reed Family Foundation, was won by artist Jane Burton Taylor for her paper bark work, Colonial Waistcoat, which the judges described as ‘a reimagining of Colonial history,’ and should ‘spark a conversation about Australian history.’
Northern Territory artist Stephanie Bush was named the winner of the Indigenous Emerging Artist Prize, supported by the Guardian and Scarborough Foundation, for her acrylic paint on canvas work, Papa Tjukurrpa-Nyumannu, which excited the judges by ‘how this painting feels alive with energy, inviting the viewer to dive into the patterns that are framed within frames of pattern.’
The two Highly Commended Professional winners were Elvis Richardson for Settlement #9 and Anna Mould for Silk State; the two Highly Commended Emerging winners were Jane Michaele Cameron for Bull ant Umwelt III and Lily Mortensen for Aquarium Nocturne; and the two Highly Commended Indigenous Emerging winners were Bryella Garmanjan Farrell for Where Saltwater Meets Freshwater and Merrkiyawuy #2 Munuŋgurr for Dhatam (Lillies).
Selected from 1750 entrants, the 103 finalists in this year’s Art Prize comprised of 54 Professional Artists, 38 Emerging Artists and 11 Indigenous Emerging Artists. Entries represented every state and territory in Australia.
‘We launched this important Art Prize ten years ago, in recognition that women artists have historically not received the public accolades their work deserves,’ says Ravenswood Principal, Mrs Suzanne Floro. ‘Over the past decade, we have exhibited more than 1000 finalists from every State and Territory, each showcasing extraordinary originality and talent. As the highest value art prize for women in Australia, we are proud of the role we have played in supporting women artists to continue creating and are thrilled that the wider community has wholeheartedly embraced our mission to champion the incredible diversity in the Australian visual arts.’
The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize is Australia’s highest-value art prize for women artists with a $35,000 Professional Artist Prize, as well as an Emerging Artist Prize of $7,500 and an Indigenous Emerging Artist Prize of $7,500. There is also a People’s Choice Award supported by Edwina Palmer of $2,000 plus a Derivan art pack valued at $500. Six Highly Commended Awards (two for each category) of $1,000 each (supported by Community Bank Lindfield) were also awarded.
Established by Ravenswood School for Girls in 2017 to recognise, encourage and promote women in the visual arts, the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize is proudly supported by partners including Major Partner Taylor; Gold Partners The Marshall Group, TWG Hospitality Services, The Australian, RM Williams OUTBACK, and Active Networks; Silver Partners Guardian and Scarborough Foundation, The Reed Family Foundation, Community Bank Lindfield, CB Interiors, and Clarke Murphy Print; and Bronze Partners Ku-ring-gai Council, Kelvin Hall Floral Design, EPM Projects, The Art Scene, Edwina Palmer and Derivan.
The 2026 Exhibition of Finalists is free and open to the public, Thursday to Sunday, 10am-4pm, 16 to 31 May at Ravenswood School for Girls, Gate 3, 10 Henry St Gordon NSW. The artworks can also be viewed through a virtual Exhibition tour. The virtual tour is available at ravenswoodartprize.com.au
Artworks from the exhibition are available to purchase now until 31 May 2026.
Ravenswood Shines with Excellence
