Canberra watercolour bird artist Frances McMahon has won Best in Show and $15,000 in the 2025 Holmes Prize for Excellence in Realistic Australian Bird Art.

Instituted in 2015 and now in its 10th anniversary year, the Holmes Prize is the only arts prize dedicated exclusively to Australian birds. It is sponsored annually by Sunshine Coast dermatologist Dr Gary Holmes and his wife Dr Margaret Holmes.

Ms McMahon’s watercolour painting Spangled (Spotted Pardalotes) was just one of only 35 finalists nationwide and the only finalist selected from the ACT.

“This is an extraordinary honour to be awarded the overall winner among entries of such a high standard,” Ms McMahon said. “On hearing the good news, I think my screams of joy could be heard as far away as Tasmania!”

This is the second time Ms McMahon has won this prestigious prize: her Showing Off (Sulphur-crested Cockatoos) won Best in Show in 2022. She also received two Awards of Excellence in 2023 and 2024.

In March, Ms McMahon was granted membership and the title of Art Renewal Centre Associate Living Master (ARCALM) — an internationally recognised title, with only 14 other Australian artists represented.

“Since turning 60 in January this year, I can honestly say 2025 has been the most fortuitous and extraordinary year of my professional career,” Ms McMahon said.

Ms McMahon’s artistic statement for her prize-winning 2025 watercolour reads: “Considering the variety of bird species inhabiting our marvellous continent, I’m never at a loss for artistic inspiration.

“Lightning fast, impossibly tiny and stunningly adorned in spangles of silver and gold, the Spotted Pardalote is one of Australia’s smallest and most beautiful birds. Their plumage blends beautifully with the dappled light while their almost leaf-shaped bodies further enhance their camouflage.

“Dwarfed by the average-sized leaves of a gum tree, my intention was to emphasise not only how tiny these birds are, but how their survival is so dependent on the psyllids and their lerps on which they feed.”

The judge was Gordon Hanley, a world-renowned artist for 35 years, recognised by the prestigious Art Renewal Centre (the largest realist art group in the world) as the first and only “Living Master” of metalpoint.

The exhibition of all finalists may be seen at Sunshine Coast Art and Framing Gallery, 3 Longwood Street, Minyama, QLD. The exhibition is open until Friday 21st November.