We’re honoured and delighted to announce the expert judging panel for The Lester Prize 2026.
This year’s panel will bring their unique experience to the competition. They will select the winners of the Richard Lester Prize for Portraiture ($50,000), Minderoo Foundation Spirit Prize ($20,000), Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize ($5,000), Eyewall Foundation Highly Commended ($5,000) and The Montauk Lighting Co. Highly Commended Prize ($5,000) which will be exhibited at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip from 10 October – 29 November 2026.
Alan Dodge has served in the art museum world for over 45 years. In 1972 Mr Dodge became a lecturer in the Education Department of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In 1975 he was appointed the first Senior Research Officer of the fledgling Australian National Gallery (now National Gallery of Australia), where he stayed for 21 years. During that time, he held a number of positions, culminating in the role of Senior Advisor, Special Exhibitions and Development. In late 1996 Mr Dodge was appointed Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, a position he held for eleven years until the end of 2007, when he retired.
Alan is on the board of the West Australian Ballet. He has served for 15 years on the board of the National Portrait Gallery, has been a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Strategic Advisory Board at Murdoch University and was Chairman of the Murdoch University Art Collection Board for 10 years and was the Patron of the Murdoch University’s Art Collection’s 50 year campaign in 2024/5. Over the last three decades Alan has served on a number of boards and committees involved in strategies for the cultural future of Perth and WA. He was also on the Opera and Classical Music Panel of the Helpmann Awards for six years.
Alan was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the French Government in 2004, an Honorary Fellow by Edith Cowan University in 2007, and was recognised with an honour in the Order of Australia (AM) in 2008 for service to the arts. In 2011 he was named Western Australia Citizen of the Year, Culture, Arts and Entertainment, and made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Murdoch University in 2012 and also an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Curtin University in 2018.
John McDonald was born in Cessnock, NSW, in 1961, and graduated from Sydney University in 1980 (majoring in English literature & philosophy). He has written for numerous newspapers and journals for over 40 years, incuding many essays for books and catalogues. He is best known for his art columns in the Sydney Morning Herald from 1983-89, 1994-1998, and again from 2005-24. From 2011-24 he wrote a weekly cinema column for the Australian Financial Review. He is now writing independently on his own Substack site, Everything the artworld doesn’t want you to know. Or Everythingthe.com
In 1999 JMcD took up the post as Head of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Australia, and resigned in 2001, after acting as Curator of the NGA exhibition ‘Federation: Australian Art and Society 1901-2001’, which toured the nation until June 2002. He has since acted as curator for a range of independent exhibitions.
JMcD has lectured throughout Australia, and taught Art History & Theory at the National Art School, Sydney. From 2002-04 he was director of Newcontemporaries, a non-commercial exhibition space at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, committed to showing the work of new & emerging artists.
JMcD’s publications include The Art of Australia (2009), a history of Australian art from earliest times to 1900.
An archive of his work may be found at the website: johnmcdonald.net.au
Bryony Nainby is Curator of the University of Western Australia Art Collection at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, where she develops exhibitions, undertakes research and leads collection development.
She has worked in senior curatorial and leadership roles across Australia, including at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Craft Victoria, Benalla Art Gallery and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
Bryony’s practice spans contemporary Australian art, craft and material culture, with a particular interest in the ways collections connect people, place and culture.
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Nedlands WA 6909
