The winners of this year's Young Archie awards are here

Grown-up Archibald Prize winners including Vincent Namatjira, Louise Hearman, Wendy Sharpe, Ben Quilty and this year’s winner Peter Wegner, have some magnificent up-and-coming competition snapping at their heels.

Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) has unveiled the creative geniuses who have won the four age group categories of the Young Archie. Now in its ninth year, the Young Archie tasks kids and young adults aged five to 18 to submit a portrait of someone special to them. Every year the results have been gorgeous and this year’s winners have excelled themselves. The winners were hand-picked by Sri Lankan-born, Sydney-based contemporary artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, a two-time Archibald finalist and a favourite of ours here at Time Out towers, alongside Art Gallery of NSW family programs manager, Victoria Collings.

There were more than 2100 entries, with three of the four category winners plucked from NSW. They each receive $200, an art pack from S&S Creative, a family pass to a paid exhibition at AGNSW and an Archibald 21 catalogue. The remaining finalists don’t go home empty handed either. They receive an S&S Creative art pack, the Archibald 21 catalogue and a cash of $50.

“These artists are all special,” Nithiyendran says. “They have used materials creatively, genuinely and fearlessly. I was looking for a special kind of fearlessness when selecting this year’s finalists. The winning works are valiant, combined with emotion, humility, joy and observation.”

And the winners are:

5–8 years category: Thevan Basnayake, 7, Winston Hills, NSW, self-portrait

We love Thevan’s big beaming smile, his stripey top and the lush red backdrop.

_{Photograph: AGNSW, Christopher Snee | Self-portrait, 2021, Thevan Basnayake}

9–12 years category: Luanda Lucia Perlstone Monroy, 9, Maroubra, NSW, for a portrait of her brother

We’re really into the bold choice of green skin and blue hair, and the selection of action figures. Is that the Hulk and Spider-Man we spy?

_{Photograph: AGNSW, Christopher Snee | My Hulk brother, 2021, Luanda Lucia Perlstone Monroy}

13–15 years category: Jacqueline Qin, 15, Pymble, NSW, for a portrait of her sister

All this sibling love is really swelling our hearts, and the multi-coloured collage approach taken here is really quite spectacular.

_{Photograph: AGNSW, Christopher Snee | My Sister, 2021, Jacqueline Qin}

16–18 years category: Charliese Allen, 16, Sunshine West, VIC, for a portrait of her mother

How cool does this portrait of Charliese’s mum look? Consider us astounded.

_{Photograph: AGNSW, Christopher Snee | Momasito, 2021, Charliese Allen}

You can view the winners and commendable finalists here.

And if you want more Archibald goodness, take a look at the grown-ups here.