2026 Main Prize Winning Artwork

Digit, Dog Bark Road, Lisa Garland

Giclée print from large format film
100 x 100 x 5cm

Artist’s Statement

Digit Briggs earned his nickname at school because of his skill with numbers. His teachers encouraged him towards accounting, but Digit's love was in machinery, engines and the satisfaction of making and repairing things. He has lived behind Port Arthur, on Dog Bark Road, his entire life. Digit collects tractors and has more than one hundred. Most days he can be found tinkering with an engine, wearing his blue overalls and a beanie pulled low. Every now and then, he heads out in his trusty ute to rescue tourists who have broken down along the Tasman Peninsula. He has become somewhat of a legend in these parts. His sons, Nathan and Lloyd, live along the same road, and together they spend time working on tractors. They are known to travel Australia-wide to bring tractors back to Dog Bark Road, where they are pulled apart, restored and brought to life again. There is something about the way Digit lives that I find compelling. His ability with numbers found its way into an instinctive understanding of engines and mechanics, but it is also his passion that has shaped the life he chose. There is a creative act in making something work again. For me, Load Bearing exists here in both the machines and the life Digit has created: in the weight and engineering of the tractors, but also in the quiet support of family and a shared passion. For me, meeting Digit and taking this photograph is about honouring the maker and the humble.

Statement from the Judges

Lisa Garland’s Digit, Dog Bark Road is a masterful, emotional work that honours the bravery of a life lived on its own terms. Lisa met Digit, her subject, while exploring the Tasman Peninsula's back roads. Upon seeing a collection of tractors in a front yard, she was compelled to introduce herself. Over eight visits, Lisa spent time with Digit, talking about his life, his hopes and inspirations while taking photographs. 

Lisa’s winning artwork is a powerful portrait of a man pursuing his passion of restoring tractors, without need of attention or convention. In our times of distraction and turmoil, there seems something poignant in Digit’s focus. It is a spellbinding work that held us with its intrigue and beauty, highlighting the load-bearing work of building human connection.