Sean Layh Wins Archibald Packing Room Prize with Jacob Collins Portrait

Self-taught artist Sean Layh has won the $3,000 Packing Room prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for his oil portrait of actor Jacob Collins, titled 'The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke'. The prize, chosen by AGNSW staff who hang the Archibald exhibition, was announced on 30 April 2026, ahead of the main Archibald prize announcement on 8 May. Layh, a former biological scientist at Monash University, left his science career during the Covid-19 pandemic to paint full-time. He studied for a year at the Victorian College of the Arts but found it unsuitable, returning to painting 15 years later. The portrait was inspired by Collins's performance as Hamlet in a 2024 Melbourne Shakespeare Company production at fortyfivedownstairs theatre. Senior installation officer William Newell described the work as 'a dark, complex and beautiful double portrait'. This year's Archibald received over 1,000 entries, narrowed to 59 finalists including portraits of Ahmed al-Ahmed, Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Layne Beachley, and Khaled Sabsabi. The main Archibald prize of $100,000, along with the Wynne and Sulman prizes, will be awarded on 8 May, with the exhibition opening on 9 May.