Finalists for the $50,000 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes were announced yesterday.

Northern Tasmanian artists Michael McWilliams and Wolfhagen along with Hobart's David Keeling are among the 28 finalists selected from 798 entries for the $25,000 Wynne Prize. The Archibald attracted 849 entries and 43 have made the shortlist. The Sulman attracted 615 entries, with 31 finalists chosen.

The Wynne Prize is one of Australia's longest-running prizes, originating in 1897 through a bequest from Richard Wynne.

It is a prize recognising Australian landscape in oils or watercolours or figure sculpture produced within the last 12 months.

Thrilled to learn of his selection yesterday, McWilliams described his work, simply entitled Rabbitscape, as a reference to the growing number of rabbits in the Northern Midlands area.

Large rabbits dominate the foreground of his work while in the background is a sheep and kangaroo "questioning why the rabbits are there competing for food on a dry landscape".

McWilliams was a Wynne finalist in 2008.

While finalists and the nation must wait until Friday, March 26, for the judges' decisions for all three prizes, the annual Packing Room prize was announced yesterday.

A portrait of rock historian Glenn A. Baker won the prize, selected according to tradition by NSW Art Gallery back room staff as a prelude to the annual Archibald.

The large black and white of Baker is by Indian-born Sydney artist Nafisa.

Nafisa said she tried to capture Baker's strengths and his larrikin sense of humour, describing her work as a celebration of humanity.

Baker said he was "enormously humbled" to join a list of winning packing room subjects, including musicians Neil Finn and Jimmy Barnes.