If your child or teen loves to paint, get them to submit a portrait or landscape to the The Young Dobell competition.
In its third year and in celebration of the Lake Macquarie Dobell Festival, the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang is inviting budding artists aged 5 – 18 to participate in the Young Dobell competition.
It could end up on the walls of Museum of Art and Culture yapang as one of the finalist paintings to inspire the next generation of artists!
The Young Dobell competition encourages 5-18 years olds to to create either a portrait of a person or pet who plays a significant role in their life, or a landscape artwork of a place that is special to them.
The competition is named after Sir William Dobell, a three-time Archibald Prize winner who lived in Lake Macquarie. He was was known for his portraits and landscape artworks as well as paintings of his dogs. His beloved pet dogs were also a favoured subject matter for Dobell.
There are three theme categories and seven age groups in the competition.
Theme categories:
- Portrait of a person
- Portrait of a pet
- Landscape artwork of a place that is important to the artist
Age groups:
- 5 & 6 year olds
- 7 & 8 year olds
- 9 & 10 year olds
- 11 & 12 year olds
- 13 & 14 year olds
- 15 & 16 year olds
- 17 & 18 year olds
The competition is open to young people throughout Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Maitland, the broader Hunter Valley areas and the Central Coast.
The Young Dobell competition commences on 1 March and closes at 12pm on Friday 8 May 2026.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for kids to paint an individual or pet close to them. There’s no shortage of people they can choose to paint from mum and dad, grandparents, other family members, a best friend or a neighbour. They can also do a landscape artwork from a local Hunter region place or setting.
Guidelines:
About your portrait subject
Museum of Art and Culture, yapang prefer that the portrait is painted from life and that the subject has a sitting for their portrait. Artists may also create the portrait from memory or take a photograph to use for reference.
About your landscape subject
Museum of Art and Culture, yapang encourage landscape artworks based on a setting of importance and the local area. Artworks could be produced outdoors or reflecting on place.
All artwork selected as finalists in the competition will be on display in the Young Dobell exhibition at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC yapang). This exhibition is on view 30 May – 19 July 2026.
To find out more about the Young Dobell competition and to submit your child’s entry, visit the Lake Macquarie City Council website.