the portia geach memorial award

The Portia Geach Memorial Award is Australia’s most prestigious art prize for portraiture by women artists.

The Portia Geach Memorial Award is Australia’s most prestigious award for portraiture by women artists. The Award is recognised as one of the most important celebrations of the talents and creativity of Australian female portrait painters and has played a major role in developing the profile of the nation’s women artists.

The Award was established by the will of the late Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister, Portia Geach. The non-acquisitive award of $30,000 is awarded by the Trustee for the entry which is of the highest artistic merit, ‘for the best portrait painted from life of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, or the Sciences by any female resident’ who was born in Australia or was British born, or has become an Australian citizen and has resided in Australia in the preceding twelve months.