Nine artists have 4 hours to create portraits of Drag Queen Courtney Act, Actor Mark Coles Smith and film critic Margaret Pomeranz, each with a personal item. The judges select a top 3, and 1 advances to the semi-final.

This heat features nine artists from across the country. The sitters are comedian Rhys Nicholson, chef Adam Liaw, and radio/TV host Myf Warhurst.