The Doyles Art Award, one of the Gold Coast's most prestigious art prizes, has been engulfed in controversy after allegations that the 2025 winning artwork was a copy of a painting by the late Australian artist Nicholas Harding. The committee is now pursuing legal action to recover the $20,000 landscape prize awarded to NSW artist Jane Allan for her work Seaside Explorers.
Winning Work Allegedly Copied from Harding
The painting won the competition's top landscape honour in 2025, with Allan telling organisers at the time she was "absolutely thrilled" and describing the work as inspired by childhood memories of exploring beaches with her brother. However, organisers now allege the piece closely resembles Two Estuary Figures, a 2011 work by acclaimed Australian painter Nicholas Harding, who died in 2022 from cancer after a five-year battle with tongue cancer.
Organisers Only Notified Recently
Glenn Tozer, a Gold Coast councillor speaking on behalf of The Doyles committee, said the volunteer-run organisation only became aware of the issue after receiving a complaint on the eve of the 2026 exhibition, more than a year after Allan claimed the prize. "It appears that someone has entered, unfortunately ineligibly, and an imitation has been submitted as one's own original work," Tozer said. "Any reasonable person looking at the original from 2011 painted by Nicholas Harding and the 2025 piece painted by the artist who won last year, I think any reasonable person would say the newer piece of art is an imitation of the older piece of art."
Committee Expresses Shock and Anger
In a statement on social media, organisers expressed shock that the issue had gone unnoticed for over a year. "Of course there's questions around how this happened, how no one noticed for a full year and more," the committee said. "Of course there's anger, it goes against everything we stand for." The committee noted the controversy was particularly disappointing at a time when artists are increasingly fighting plagiarism, unauthorised reproductions, and challenges posed by artificial intelligence. "Never did we expect a threat from within our own art community," organisers wrote.
Entrants Required to Declare Originality
Tozer said all entrants were required to declare their work was original and complied with competition rules. "We take artists at their word," he said. "We hope that when people enter The Doyles, they understand the rules and they submit their art on that basis." The winning artwork had been displayed in the office of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate as part of a long-standing sponsorship arrangement with the City of Gold Coast. It has since been removed and is being returned to the artist.
Future Screening Measures Planned
Organisers have not yet decided whether last year's runner-up will be elevated to first place. The committee has flagged the introduction of reverse image search technology and other screening measures to prevent similar incidents in future. "We've realised there is technology available," Tozer said. "Reverse image searches online are possible ... this unfortunate situation has led us to making sure we're investigating that sort of technology for use in future." The original Harding painting sold for $16,730 at a Melbourne auction in 2024. 7NEWS sought comment from Allan through The Doyles Art Awards but did not receive a response before publication.
