About

Todd Simpson is a Melbourne based contemporary realist artist. Todd studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and practices in the fields of sculpture, portraiture and painting. He has been a finalist in numerous Australian and New Zealand Art awards for his work including the Glover Prize (2025 People’s Choice Winner), Darling Portrait Prize, Black Swan Portrait Prize, Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award (2018 People’s Choice Winner), Bluethumb Art Prize (2020 People’s Choice Award) and the Adam Portraiture Award (2020 Highly Commended Award). In 2025 he was named as one of Australia’s top 100 artists by top100artists.com.

AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS

2025

  • Finalist – Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – Ripper Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Glover Prize, Evandale, TAS, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Fresh Perspectives, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

2024

  • Group Exhibition – Christmas Exhibition, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Redland Art Awards, Cleveland, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Basil Sellers Art Prize, Moruya, NSW, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – The Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Calleen Art Award, Cowra, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Finalist – University of Southern Queensland Biennial Art Award, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Glover Prize, Evandale, TAS, Australia
  • Finalist – Blacktown City Art Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia

2023

  • Winner – Curator’s Choice, APC Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – The Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne VIC, Australia
  • Solo Exhibition – The Other Art Fair, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Rising Realism, Bluethumb Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2022

  • Finalist – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Artists to Watch, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – National Capital Art Prize, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  • Finalist – Lethbridge 20000 Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Percival Portrait Prize, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Art and Gender, Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2021

  • Runner-up – Bluethumb Art Prize (Sculpture Award), Australia
  • Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Bluethumb Art Prize Winners, Sydney, NSW, Australia

2020

  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
  • Finalist – Darling Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  • Highly Commended – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand

2019

  • Solo Exhibition – A Matter of Perspective, Bini Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Hidden Faces – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Marvellous Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2018

  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia
  • Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – Kennedy Art Prize, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Hidden Faces – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Abstraction TwentyEighteen, Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand

2017

  • Winner – Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Myself Self Portrait Prize, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • Finalist – Yering Station Sculpture Awards, Yarra Valley, VIC, Australia
  • Winner Small Sculpture Prize – Albert Park College Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Runner-up – St John’s Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Flanagan Art Prize, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Peculiar Portraits Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Who’s Looking at You? Portrait Award, Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2016

  • Finalist – Yering Station Sculpture Awards, Yarra Valley, VIC, Australia
  • Winner Acquisitive Prize – Albert Park College Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – John Copes Portrait Prize, Bowral, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  • Winner People’s Choice Award – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Group Exhibition – Self Portraiture, BSG Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Honourable Mention Award – Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia

2015

  • Honorable Mention Award – Brunswick Street Gallery 40 x 40 Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Finalist – The M Collection Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Finalist – Royal South Australian Society of Arts Portrait Prize, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  • Highly Commended Award – Camberwell Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  • Semi-Finalist – BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2014

  • Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Perth, WA, Australia

2013

  • Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Perth, WA, Australia

2012

  • Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Finalist – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia
  • Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia