Toby’s prize-winning portrait of his grandfather
Toby Lopata's portrait 'My grandpa' was selected from 70 finalists overall and 20 in the 9-12 category.
Toby Lopata thought he was heading to his grandparents’ house last Friday. Instead, he was flying to Sydney for the winners’ announcement of the Young Archie competition – a nationwide portrait challenge that encourages children and young people towards creative expression.
While he was in the car with his parents, the now-10-year-old suddenly realised they weren’t going the correct way.
“We pretended he had a sleepover with his grandparents. We picked him up after school and we surprised him by taking him to Sydney overnight,” Toby’s mum Rebecca Werther told The AJN over the phone, explaining that they wanted him to be at the announcement to enjoy the celebration. The family had no idea that Toby was about to win the top prize for his age group.
Inspired by Australia’s most-loved portrait prize, the Archibald Prize, the Young Archie competition invites young artists aged five to 18 to submit a portrait of someone who plays a special role in their life.
Photo: Christopher Snee/
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Toby said he entered the competition because he likes to challenge himself. As for his choice of portrait, that was a surprise for his grandfather too.
“I chose my grandpa because he survived the Holocaust when he was a young boy, and then he moved to Australia. And he has also survived cancer. I’m so happy he’s here today,” Toby said. Alex Lopata was also one of the pioneers behind IVF in Australia.
Toby said his grandparents were both really happy when they saw the painting for the first time, and were shocked when they heard he had won. Toby said he didn’t believe it himself.
“I kept thinking to myself ‘I’m not going to win, I’m not going to win’, and then when I heard Toby Lopata, I had to quickly run up on stage,” he recalled. “I wasn’t really planning on getting up.”
Toby said the expression on his grandpa’s face in the portrait inspired his use of red as a background colour. “It really brightens up the picture and gives it warmth,” he explained. “His eyes are very warm [in the portrait], and it makes him look strong and happy.”
“Especially after all he has survived,” Rebecca pointed out.
The Young Archie 2023 competition surpassed last year’s record number of entries by over 1000, with more than 3400 artworks received from right across Australia in 2023.
Toby’s portrait My grandpa was selected from 70 finalists overall and 20 in the 9-12 category.
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