The streets of Upwey are alive with colour, inspiration and joy once more as a beloved annual art exhibition returns to the hills.
The Upwey Archies have landed in Upwey, delivering heart and soul on canvas, painted by young and old in the community for its eighth year.
“There were so many wonderful entries,” said Jacqui Buckland, one of the judges this year and President of the Upwey Community Group (UCG).
Upwey Archies is a yearly community portrait event organised by Upwey Community Group, in partnership with Burrinja Cultural Centre and funded through Yarra Ranges Council, inspired originally by the Archibald Prize.
From first-time painters as young as two years old to experienced artists, the portrait exhibition gives the entrants a simple goal: to create an original artwork featuring a local person who feels significant to them or the Hills community.
The community will see familiar faces brought to life on canvas by people who love and appreciate them, often attached to amazing and heartfelt stories by local people in the Dandenong Ranges.
After a little hiatus last year, 2025 has seen the exhibition back and bigger than ever, with huge participation, and judges said the event was sorely missed in 2024.
This year sees the portraits on show along the Main Street in Upwey from October 15 to 5 November, along with a special exhibition of the portraits planned from Friday 8 November to Sunday 16 November at the Burrinja gallery – a new addition to the event.
This year’s judges were Airlee Barwell, the Open Winner from Archies 2023, JD Mittman, Burrinja Curator and Manager of Collections and Jacqui Buckland – UCG President, for took on the challenge of selecting this year’s winning portraits.
They announced the winners on 17 October, and the Open Category winner this year was ‘A Smile in Every Coffee’ by Linda Fullagar, the Highly Commended category was awarded to ‘Gwen’ by Laurie Guetat.
The Heart award was given to ‘Cafe Chloe: Dreams, Coffee and Sprites’ by Stephanie Marsh and the Packing Room choices were awarded to ‘Sunday’ by Jascha Kattmann and ‘Miss Aimee’ by Mark Azzopardi.
In the Youth Category, Hannah Nicole Crawford was awarded First place for her portrait ‘Magic Mirror’, and a Highly Commended was given to ‘Kathryn Full of Grace’ by Tayler Angel Marano.
The Youth Heart category was awarded to ‘Maeve’ by Iona Grace, and the Packing Room awards were given to ‘My Best Friend Otis’ by Jasper Aulsebrook and ‘Picture Purrfect’ by Lucas Gallardo.
One award remains on the shelf, the community favourite award for the Open and Youth Categories, so people are invited to grab a coffee and stroll through Upwey and vote for their favourite via QR code or the link on the Archies website.
“Soak up the colour and buzz, find your own entry and choose your personal Youth and Open favourites for the Community Favourite Awards,” said the website.
Traders along the Main Street have donated an array of prizes and love seeing the community peering into the windows to admire the portraits.
Long-time committee member, Sandra Leehy, said that the Upwey Archies is really Upwey’s special event.
“There’s so much artistic talent, and we love to see all of the paintings, especially the little kids,” she said.
The final awards night is from 6pm- 8pm Thursday 13 November at Burrinja, and all are welcome.
Burrinja Opening Hours are from 10am – 4pm Wednesday to Sunday only.
