What impressed me most was the drawing’s honesty. It holds a stillness that invites close looking, and the figure, turned slightly away, relaxed but alert, feels both present and private. This is drawing at its most distilled: direct, truthful, and beautifully resolved.
Most importantly, it enhances the Kedumba Collection. It brings a refined, mature example of contemporary figurative drawing into the archive, a work that will sit confidently alongside decades of Australian drawing practice, strengthening the collection’s breadth and depth.
It is a drawing that could only have been made by an artist with a mature voice and complete trust in the line. That is why it is the winning drawing of the 2026 Kedumba Drawing Award.
- Patrick Shirvington (Judge)
With a career spanning several decades, Shirvington has presented an extensive program of solo and group exhibitions across Australia and internationally, and his work is held in significant public and private collections, including the Kedumba Drawing Collection. His interdisciplinary approach encompasses works on paper, large-scale painting, installation, and artist books, alongside an established practice as a children’s book illustrator with internationally published titles.
>Holding a Master of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design from UNSW, Shirvington brings to the role a breadth of experience across studio practice, education, and environmental engagement. His longstanding commitment to drawing as a process of discovery and perception aligns closely with the ethos of the Kedumba Drawing Award, ensuring a considered and insightful perspective in the selection of the 2026 finalists.
Submissions for the Kedumba Drawing Award can only be made online on our website once entries open on the 23rd of March 2026.
All works must be submitted via the official entry form, available on this website.
Australian resident artists over 18 working in the sphere of drawing are invited to enter.
Cost of entry is $50 for one entry and $45 for the second, which is the maximum entries.
Yes, the size restriction is 1.om x 1.2m and must not weigh more than 15kilos.
Entries will open online on our website on the 23rd of March 2026 and will close 30th of June 2026.
Yes there will be an exhibition held from the 22nd of August until the 27th of September in the Kedumba Gallery. 3 Matcham Avenue, Wentworth Falls NSW, in 2026.
You will be notified by email .
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