Matthew Absalom-Wong of The Age has won the Artwork Quill with “Hong Bao diplomacy”.

Judges' citation

The judges were impressed by the quality of this year’s entries into the “artwork” category. Ultimately they selected Matthew Absalom-Wong’s “Hong Bao diplomacy” illustration as the 2023 winner. Matthew’s illustration is a sumptuous, saturated colour reference to vintage Chinese communist poster art, cleverly portraying Xi Jinping in a familiar, Mao-like pose, distributing funds within the Asia-Pacific through the metaphor of “hong bao”; small red envelopes laden with cash as gifts. The image clearly references the article it accompanies, but Matthew has drawn on his own Chinese heritage and personal experience to build a stronger, culturally relevant visual narrative.

The winning entry

Highly commended

Richard Giliberto, The Sunday Age, “Numbers Game”

Shortlisted

Jim Pavlidis, The Age, “Voice To Parliament”

Lisa Favazzo, Guardian Australia, “Weight of the World”