Hussein Abdirahman Mohamud has received the Art Handlers’ Award at the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 for ‘UNTITLED: 01, 2025’, a work from his series ‘What remains?’. The award carries a prize of $3,000, provided by IAS Fine Art Logistics.
The announcement was made by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, which is presenting the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 daily from Saturday 22 August to Sunday 11 October 2026, after which the exhibition tours nationally. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 concession, and free for Circle of Friends members. The gallery’s published address is King Edward Terrace, Parkes, ACT 2600.
The awarded photograph is described as a landscape-format portrait of Eedo, or Aunt Khadija, in her residence at the Flemington public housing estate. She looks directly at the camera while surrounded by personal belongings in the room. The image includes domestic details that register a period of upheaval: cardboard boxes, tissues and a picture removed from the wall.
In comments released with the announcement, the art handling team said they were moved by the story behind Mohamud’s portrait and the themes it explores. They described the work as addressing “the broad impact of losing one’s home”, particularly for people who have been “double displaced” and are again facing a threat to the stability and comfort of their home. The team also drew attention to the subject’s stillness within the living room and to the signs of change visible around her.
The Art Handlers’ Award is one of several recognitions announced alongside the 2026 prize exhibition. Nathan Beard was named the overall winner for ‘Mae Khong, 2026’, receiving $30,000 from the Gallery and photographic equipment valued at $20,000 from Canon Australia. Phuong Nguyen Le received the First Time Finalist Award, worth $3,000 courtesy of EIZO, for the diptych ‘Nghỉ/Nghiêm (Attention/At ease), 2025’.
The National Portrait Gallery’s announcement also invites visitors to vote in the People’s Choice Award. The winning artist is due to receive $10,000 courtesy of the Calvert-Jones Foundation. The public vote is presented as a separate feature from the juried and sponsored awards, while Mohamud’s recognition comes specifically from the exhibition’s art handling team and its supporting sponsor, IAS Fine Art Logistics.
The 2026 edition is the last. The Gallery states that the prize, run since 2007, is ending with this exhibition, and that a curated retrospective drawn from its history is on show alongside the 30 finalists. The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2026 closes on 11 October 2026.
