I Was Naked, You Was Afraid; So You Hid Me. Genocide 17:88 by Glenn Loughrey has been awarded the 2026 Mandorla Art Award, Australia’s most significant thematic Christian art prize.
A Wiradjuri artist and writer whose work explores the relational dimensions of Country through pattern, story, and spirit, Glenn’s winning artwork depicts the number of deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission. The 638 figures in the painting represent those who have died.
“Glenn’s work hits with the impact of undeniable, brutal truth. Painted in languages of spirituality, it refuses ambiguity and demands acknowledgement,” the judging panel commented.
Glenn’s winning artwork was selected from more than 250 submissions and 41 shortlisted finalists from all over Australia that reflected the theme, What is Truth? “I was afraid, because I was naked: and I hid myself” – Genesis 3:10.
The $30,000 first prize was sponsored by St John of God Health Care.
The Rev’d John Ward Memorial Prize, sponsored by Perth Anglican Diocese, was awarded to Two Truths by Jo Darbyshire. The award is named after Rev’d John Ward, an artist, priest and member of the Mandorla Committee who passed away in 2025.
The Highly Commended Catholic Archdiocese Prize was awarded to The Disagreement by Grant Hill.
The Emerging Artist Prize, sponsored by The University of Notre Dame Australia, was awarded to Sprawling on a pin by Melissa Clements.
The Mandorla Artist Residency was awarded to The truth is lacking by Aaron Moore.
A total of $63,000 in prize money will be awarded during the exhibition that will be held at Holmes à Court Gallery @ no.10, Gooyaman West Perth from 9-30 May.
The People’s Choice Prize provided by the Benedictine Community of New Norcia will be announced at the conclusion of the exhibition.
Mandorla Art Award Committee Chairperson, Angela McCarthy, said the entries had captured some extraordinary and challenging interpretations of the theme.
“I am amazed at the diversity produced by notable artists from around Australia,” she said.
Since its inception in 1985, the Mandorla Art Award has attracted some of Australia’s finest artists. Held every two years, it is described as a contemporary fine art award in conversation with a Biblical text.
Mandorla invites artists to engage with the biblical texts which speak to the heart of what it means to be human, to our relationships with one another and to the world that is our home.
The high calibre of the creative partnership between Mandorla and artists continue to make an important contribution to the cultural life of Australia.
In partnership with Mandorla, the New Norcia Community has created a permanent home for the collection of winning pieces that spans the last 40 years.
