They're the gallery's collection officers, who move and hang the pictures in exhibitions.

This opportunity to get up close and personal with the works - "We're the only ones who can do it," Potter said - provides them with a unique perspective.

And they use this when judging the Art Handler's Prize in the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

This year, Kemister and Potter selected Adam Haddrick's Cordy in the Clouds 2021 as the winner, a portrait of an Indigenous elder whose name means "Spirit of the Sunrise" in the traditional language of the Tjungundji people of far north Queensland.

Potter said they each compiled a shortlist of works and Haddrick's appeared in both. The portrait was "simple and strong - it struck my attention", he said.

Kemister said, "The subject's presence is quite engaging" and she was impressed by the way the clouds provided a background.

Both are graduates of the ANU School of Art - he in painting, she in printmaking - and had previously worked at the National Gallery of Australia.

The gallery's collection manager Maria Ramsden and collection administrator Renee Joyce's choice for the Darling Portrait Prize Art Handler's Award was Jane Allan's portrait of her carer Warren, Weight of the Mind's Periapt, 2021.

The Art Handler's Prize winners each received $2000.

This year's National Photographic Portrait Prize - the 15^th - attracted more than 2400 entries from around Australia, from which 50 finalists were chosen, National Portrait Gallery director of collections and exhibitions Sandra Bruce said.

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Hundreds of entries were submitted and 39 finalists chosen for the second Darling Portrait Prize, honouring the legacy of L. Gordon Darling who was instrumental in establishing the gallery.

The Art Handler's Prize is the start of the gallery's awards season. The winner of the $75,000 Darling Portrait Prize will be announced on June 24 and the winner of the National Portrait Prize, which has a $30,000 cash prize from the gallery and $20,000 worth of Canon equipment, will be announced on July 1. The People's Choice Awards - $10,000 for the Darling and $5000 for the NPPP - will be announced near the end of the exhibitions in October, so there will be plenty of time to vote.

The National Photographic Portrait Prize and the Darling Portrait Prize open at the National Portrait Gallery on June 25, 2022. portrait.gov.au.

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