Portrait Artist of the Year: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

For the first time, amateur and professional artists go head-to-head in Portrait Artist of the Year, competing for the ultimate prize: a life-changing commission to hang in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

In each episode, nine artists, from emerging talents to established professionals, have just four hours to create a portrait of a well-known celebrity. Their work is then judged by three esteemed Australian art experts: Director of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Bree Pickering; award winning, multi-disciplinary artist, Abdul Abdullah; and Associate Professor of Art History at the Australian National University (ANU), Robert Wellington.

Both Miranda and Luke share a passion for portraiture and know that every great painting tells a story. Together, they guide viewers through the creativity, surprises and magic that unfold with every brushstroke.

Series details

• Title: Portrait Artist of the Year
• Format: Reality
• Language: English
• Premiere date: 2025-11-02
• Status in TVmaze: Running
• Web channel listed by TVmaze: ABC iview
• Network country: Australia
• Typical episode runtime: 48 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 86835

Cast and credited roles

• Miranda Tapsell — Host
• Luke McGregor — Host

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2025-11-02; final listed air date 2025-11-02; episode order: 8.
• Season 2: premiered 2026-08-16; final listed air date 2026-08-16; episode order: 8.

Source and licence

Adapted from Portrait Artist of the Year on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.