Senior Manyjilyjarra artist Maywokka (Mayiwalku) Chapman has won The Jury Art Prize 2026 in Port Hedland for a painting that draws on her memories of walking country in the Great Sandy Desert.
Chapman, who works with Spinifex Hill Studio and Martumili Artists, won the prize for Ngurra (Home Country, Camp), a vivaciously colourful acrylic painting inspired by her home country in the central Great Sandy Desert, Manyjilyjarra region.
The work traces tali (sandhills), warta (vegetation) and water sources from an aerial perspective, reflecting both Chapman’s lived experience and jukurrpa stories handed down through generations.
The judging panel praised the painting’s “exceptional conceptual strength and technical confidence”, describing it as “both a portrait of the artist and a powerful expression of an enduring matrilineal lineage”.
“Bold, vibrant and rich with meaning, it presents a unique gestural portrait of country that extends beyond the boundaries of the canvas.
“The work feels simultaneously intimate and expansive, with courageous, embodied marks that challenge conventional approaches to landscape painting,” the judges said.
“As a senior artist and cultural knowledge holder, the artist carries the responsibility of preserving and sharing stories, with every mark embodying a connection to ancestry, deep time and country.”
Born at Ngarurr soak in the 1940s, Chapman spent her childhood travelling with her family through country around Punmu, the Karlamilyi River and Kunawarritji before they walked into Balfour Downs Station during a prolonged drought.
Her family is recognised as being among the last Martu families to leave the desert.
Chapman is the eldest of a family of established artists, including sisters Nancy Nyanjilpayi Chapman and Mulyatingki Marney, and daughter Doreen Chapman, who won the Telstra art award at the 2024 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.
FORM Aboriginal and Islander partnerships manager Gabrielle Howlett said the award acknowledged Chapman’s lifelong contribution as an artist and cultural knowledge-holder.
“We are immensely proud of Maywokka, and this recognition is so richly deserved,” she said.
“Every canvas she paints carries a depth of knowledge and care for her country, and we are privileged to work alongside her as she shares her story.”
Ngurra (Home Country, Camp) is currently on display at Courthouse Gallery+Studio in Port Hedland as part of The Jury Art Prize 2026 exhibition, which runs until August 21.
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