Melbourne artist Yvette Coppersmith has become the 10th woman to win the Archibald Prize with a self-portrait.
In a unanimous decision by the judges, the five-time finalist of the famous competition was awarded the top prize of $100,000 at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney on Friday.
"I would like to start by saying I want to channel the original inspiration for this portrait, which was the Right Honourable New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden. I think she would have worn this colour," Ms Coppersmith, who was wearing a burgundy floor length coat, said after her win.
The oil painting - named after the 1927 Archibald winner and a favourite of Coppersmith's - was significant to Coppersmith, who revealed the first painting she ever did was an oil painting in front of a mirror in a school classroom.
Among the 56 other finalists were Jamie Preisz's Packing Room prize-winning portrait of rocker Jimmy Barnes, Mathew Lynn's portrait of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Anne Middleton's portrait of actor Guy Pearce.
There were also 21 self-portraits.
The announcement comes two months earlier than last year, with the exhibition set to run for a month longer than usual.
As well as the Archibald Prize, several other awards were announced.
The Wynne Prize of $50,000 for best landscape painting or figure sculpture went to WA indigenous Australian artist Yukultji Napangati, and the Sulman Prize of $40,000 for the best genre painting, subject painting or mural project, was awarded to indigenous Australian artist Kaylene Whiskey.
A new award was also introduced this year - the Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders prize of $10,000 to an indigenous finalist in the Wynne Prize.
The inaugural award went to 95-year-old artist Wawiriya Burton.
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