Portrait Artist of the Year returns to ABC in August – Portrait Artist of the Year returns for a new season on Sunday, 16 August at 7.30pm on ABC TV, with all episodes available to stream on ABC iview.
Miranda Tapsell and Luke McGregor return to host the eight-part series, which brings 54 artists together to paint some of Australia’s most recognisable personalities.
For ABC audiences, the new season gives the public broadcaster another Sunday night arts and entertainment format with a broad guest list. The series also arrives after winning the 2025 AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program.
How the new season works
Across six heats, artists range from emerging creatives to established professionals. Each competitor has four hours to create a portrait in front of a live audience.
The works are then assessed by art experts Abdul Abdullah, Bree Pickering and Robert Wellington. The series builds to a final commission for the winning artist.
The celebrity sitters
This season’s sitters come from music, comedy, television, food, sport, lifestyle and the arts.
Matt Preston, Dannii Minogue, John Safran, Kate Langbroek, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Troy Cassar-Daley, Carrie Bickmore, Marc Fennell, Ellie Cole, Casey Donovan, Lisa McCune, Dave Hughes, Nedd Brockmann, Andrea Lam, Josh Thomas, Baker Boy, Jenny Kee, Peter Rowsthorn, Marcia Hines and Kirk Pengilly will all step up to be captured on canvas.
The prize
The winning artist receives a career-defining commission to create a portrait of Justine Clarke. The finished work will hang at the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.
ABC says the emotional portrait reveals bring joy, tears and laughter as the sitters see themselves in a new way.
Production
Portrait Artist of the Year is produced by Endemol Shine Australia, part of Banijay Entertainment, for ABC.
The executive producer is David McDonald. Danielle Vos is series producer, Polly Anna Arde is post executive producer and Jo Siddiqui directs. ABC’s Head of Arts, Music and Events is Kath Earle, with Rachel Robinson as commissioning editor.
For more ABC coverage, visit TV Central’s ABC section. Viewers can stream Portrait Artist of the Year through ABC iview.
