Michael Zavros wins Archibald People’s Choice award for portrait of Alex Ryvchin

Seven‑time Archibald finalist Michael Zavros captured the 2026 People’s Choice Award with his portrait of Jewish community leader Alex Ryvchin. The $5,000 prize, voted on by approximately 46,000 exhibition visitors at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, recognized Zavros’s depiction of Ryvchin walking barefoot in shallow water, his arm wrapped with tefillin. Ryvchin, co‑CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, rose to prominence after the December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attacks that killed 16 people. In his acceptance speech Zavros thanked the public, stressing that Australians are not racist, homophobic or antisemitic, and reflected on the country’s liberal democratic values. Gallery director Maud Page described Zavros as the nation’s foremost realist painter. The portrait resonated with visitors for its emotional depth, highlighting Ryvchin’s strength, dignity and the pain he endures.