Winner for 1981
Finalists for 1981
- Su Baker - Noel Counihan
- David Campbell - Fay Bottrell
- William Dargie - Johannes Bjelke Petersen
- Mario Duarte - Reg Livermore
- Brian Dunlop - Anna Waldmann
- Samuel Fullbrook - Pat Murray
- Sali Herman - The Artist's Wife
- Frank Hinder - Renee Free - Senior Curator - and family
- Frank Hodgkinson - Dr Colin Jack-Hinton, Historian, Director of Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
- Frank Hodgkinson - Nippa Kapirigi, Artist, Traditional Owner of Deaf Adder Gorge, Northern Territory
- Ted Markstein - Barwick
- Jocelyn Maughan - Frank Hinder - Artist
- Margaret Mezaks - His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos
- Brian Perrett - Graham Jones - Kinetic Energy Dance Co.
- Lesley Pockley - The Hon W C Wentworth
- Geoffrey Proud - Dorothy Hewett
- John Rigby - Mrs P Hassouras
- Andrew Sibley - Allan McCulloch
- Eric Smith - Rudy Komon (Winner: Archibald Prize 1981)
- Nigel Thomson - Max Miller
- Dora Toovey - Fred Frizell - Artist
- Margaret Woodward - Protean, Self Portrait
- Salvatore Zofrea - Stephanie Claire
- Reinis Zusters - Self Portrait in Sofala
