The ABC has renewed Endemol Shine Australia’s Portrait Artist of the Year for a second season and is calling for artists to take part in the competition series.
The series, which first aired on the station last month, saw nine artists given four hours to create portraits of celebrities for each episode.
The results were then judged by Bree Pickering, Director of the Australian National Portrait Gallery, multidisciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah and Robert Wellington, Associate Professor of Art History at the Australian National University (ANU).
According to ABC, the series averaged more than 1.1 million viewers per episode across ABC TV and ABC iview, making it the highest-watched program of any arts program when it launched on ABC iview in 2025.
Kate Douglas Walker directed the series, working with series producer Maria Handas, executive producer David McDonald, post-executive producer Kate Feeley, ABC head of arts, music and events Kath Earle, and ABC commissioning editor Rachel Robinson.
Earl said Season 2 will once again feature “compelling portraits, unforgettable stories, and plenty of laughs and tears along the way.”
“Winning the Portrait Artist of the Year award is a joy and an inspiration, and we’re excited to bring audiences another season full of creativity and amazing artistic talent from across Australia,” she said.
MacDonald said he is pleased to be producing more episodes of the series.
“We look forward to discovering even more new talent while spotlighting some of Australia’s finest portraitists and celebrities at a gala that will bring together our incredible hosts and judges,” he said.
If you are an artist interested in applying, please click here for more information.
