David Egan has won the 2026 Bayside Painting Prize for his work Decreation machine 2025, selected as one of 49 finalists from more than 500 entries across Australia.
Widely recognised as Melbourne's premier painting prize, the annual exhibition celebrates the breadth and diversity of contemporary painting practice, bringing together established and emerging artists working across a range of styles and approaches.
The prize features a non-acquisitive Major Prize of $25,000, a $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize and a $1,000 People's Choice Award.
Davis said the recognition was both encouraging and practical for working artists.
"It doesn't really feel like winning," he said. "My first thought was that I can make more work. Recognition like this creates funding, time and opportunities for artists, and that's hugely important."
Inspired by Antonello da Messina's 15th century painting Pietà, which he encountered while travelling in Sicily, David used the work as a starting point before gradually abstracting and fragmenting the image through layers of paint.
"I became fascinated by that because it pulled the painting away from realism and created these strange, complex forms," he said. "Over time it became less about the original image and more about what painting itself could do."
David said painting continues to hold a unique place in contemporary culture despite the rapid way people consume and generate images.
"Painting is inherently inefficient - and I think there's real value in that inefficiency," he said. "When painting is successful, it asks people to slow down, spend time and really pay attention."
This year's $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize was awarded to local artist Betra Fraval.
The finalist exhibition is on display at Bayside Gallery until 14 June, where visitors can vote for the People's Choice Award.
