Portrait of Aussie’s bestselling author Tim Winton wins the 2024 Archibald Prize in unanimous victory… after painting of Jacob Elordi divided fans

A portrait of one of Australia’s best-selling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize.

Artist Laura Jones took home the prestigious art prize, which invites artists to paint a portrait of a famous Australian, for her work by Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton.

She was declared the winner of the $100,000 prize after a unanimous decision in what she described as a “life-changing moment.”

Speaking to The Project on Friday, the four-time competition finalist said: ‘I got the biggest shock of my life this morning. My heart was beating out of my chest, it was crazy.”

Jones said she met nonfiction and novel author Winton at an environmental activist event, eventually convincing the reluctant writer to sit down for her.

A portrait of one of Australia’s best-selling authors has won the 2024 Archibald Prize. Artist Laura Jones took home the art prize for her work by Cloudstreet writer Tim Winton

Jones took home the $100.00 prize after meeting nonfiction and novel author Winton at an environmental activist event and ultimately convincing the reluctant writer to sit for her.

The artist said the generous prize money will allow her to “buy many more canvases and keep me going as an artist for much longer” than she expected.

Winton is one of Australia’s best-selling and most celebrated authors, having produced fiction, non-fiction and children’s books as well as scripts.

He is known for his works Breath, The Turning and Blueback, while his writing has also been adapted into plays, TV series and films.

Winton has also won the Miles Franklin Award four times and was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1997.

The win comes after another finalist, Caroline Zilinsky, divided Jacob Elordi’s fans after the Hollywood hunk shared her portrait of him on social media.

The artist also claimed that the generous prize money will allow her to “buy many more canvases and keep me going as an artist for much longer” than she expected.

The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting, which depicts a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in jeans, to Instagram on Wednesday.

The abstract piece is a unique interpretation of Jacob with his body out of proportion, with a long neck, thin arms and a very slim stomach.

Many of Elordi’s followers quickly took to the comments section to share their comments on the artwork.

“Bruh, WTF is this?” one confused follower asked, while a second person added, “I don’t know what this is but I love you.”

Meanwhile, other fans loved the work and were quick to praise Zilinsky for portraying Jacob brilliantly.

It comes after Jacob Elordi divided his fans after sharing an abstract portrait of himself by fellow finalist and Sydney artist Caroline Zilinsky

The Brisbane-born actor, 26, posted a photo of the oil painting to Instagram on Wednesday, which shows a shirtless Jacob flexing his muscles in a pair of jeans.

‘Incredibly detailed and insightful work of art that has a deserved place in the esteemed Archibald Prize!’ one person gushed, while a second said: ‘It’s incredible.’

Zilinsky also shared a photo of a shirtless Jacob sitting in his trailer for the portrait while on set filming.

“The theme and title of the painting come from ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ by Albert Camus, which Jacob was reading at the time of our meeting,” Zilinsky told Daily Mail Australia.

‘My only interest was to see the man sitting in front of me and he in turn saw himself in the work. Sometimes this requires transcending reality.’

The modernist painter has drawn many abstract portraits of famous people throughout her career, including Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.