Kangaroo skin sculpture honouring 'every survival story' wins Defence art prize

A sculpture that "culturally re-imagines Australia's military service and awards" has won the 2026 Napier Waller Art Prize.

It is the first time an Indigenous artist has won the Defence exhibition, with Ron Bradfield Jnr, a Bard, Jawi saltwater man, winning the top prize in a field of about 150 entrants.

Warning: This article discusses suicide and sexual assault.

The former Australian Defence Force (ADF) member said his sculpture titled Who We Forgot, which features carved shells and wood on a kangaroo skin, challenges people to peer through the "lens of this continent's First Nations" people and "honour every survival story".

"This artwork is a parody of our Australian award system, seen from an Indigenous point of view,"

he said.

"If we truly acknowledged all of our survival stories — from those who first survived invasion and occupation to those who arrive here today — Australia would be a very different place.

"We would be more tolerant, more caring, and ultimately far safer for those who call this place their home.

"We wouldn't be facing the same degree of racism and we wouldn't be accepting the behaviour that comes with it."

The medals on his work were made from materials and objects significant to his family and background, including white ochre and pearl shells.

"It's made up of materials … from all the different salt water, fresh water, or desert country aspects," he said.

'Emotional and physical baggage'

The exhibition opened on Thursday, with Bradfield Jnr's sculpture displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra among highly-commended entrants.

"What appealed to the judges about Ron's work was this idea of talking about truth, talking about the past, but also talking about the present, and bringing people together," head of art at the Australian War Memorial Laura Webster said.

The judges highly commended Leah Gordon's artwork titled WRAN, with the oil painting examining Gordon's devastating experiences while serving in the Royal Australian Navy.

"We are subjected to sexism and misogyny, and terrorised into silence through routine sexual harassment, assault and rape by the same officers and sailors we are expected to rely on during a fire, flood or toxic hazard," Gordon said.

"My Defence Ombudsman Reparations Scheme payment covered the paints, brushes and canvas used for this piece,"

the artist said.

Shortlisted self-portrait Medals to Madness by Paul Robertson also tackles a major issue plaguing military personnel as he depicts themes of trauma.

Robertson said his artwork was "a reminder that military service is not always rewarding — it can be deeply damaging, leaving invisible scars, fractured relationships, and profound isolation".

"Skulls represent the loss of loved ones, while a fractured head reflects a mind strained by ever-expanding monsters of memory and anxiety.

"Vines, jars, and a cosmic landscape illustrate the tension between destruction and resilience, chaos and imagination.

"I aim to show the struggle between outward appearance and internal experience — the bravery, vulnerability, and stubborn creativity that persist even when the mind feels lost."

Kat Rae's shortlisted piece Un Pack combines a shredded military pack with a partially redacted blanket, asking "institutions to bear the weight of the emotional and physical baggage they inflict".

"The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide showed us that women veterans are three times more likely to suicide than their male counterparts," Rae said.

"Using my position as an Australian Army veteran of 20 years, survivor of gendered violence, and a war widow to suicide, Un Pack asks why this little-known fact is so,"

she said.

The public is invited to vote online for its pick in the people's choice category.