Cacia Charles a finalist in the Young Archie competition at 11-years-old

Cacia's piece titled 169 Days is a loving memento to her father, who was separated from their family during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"The painting is called 169 days because during the COVID lockdown, my dad was stuck in Tasmania, and we were in Sydney and couldn't get down to him," Cacia said.

"The painting is of a picture we took of him on one of the Zoom calls, he always said he was fine and doing great but we knew he was worried...It's about how he was sad while we were gone."

READ MORE: About 400 Tasmanian mine workers to go on strike

She said despite the fact that she didn't win, she was happy to be there.

"Around 3400 kids tried out for this and only a few were picked, I was one of them which is really good," she said.

In its 11th year, the number of entries in the Young Archie competition increased from 2400 in 2022 to a new record of over 3400.

The finalists' pieces are exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW, from May 6 to September 3.

READ MORE: New book tells of life after bizarre accident

Cacia's mum, Helen Henry said the experience was fantastic and almost overwhelming.

"You just kind of think it's going to be in this little corridor or something but it's actually right in front of the Archibald paintings," Ms Henry said.

"It's great for the kids to be able to look around the corner and think, that could be me one day."

Cacia was the only Tasmanian entry, and had the outfit to prove it too.

Ms Henry said her dress was designed by the Spotted Quoll, a sustainable clothing company based in Launceston.

READ MORE: The Launceston woman leading Australia's Girl Guides

"She rocked up with this Tassie made dress and even the earrings that she wore was from another Launceston local; she probably felt like she was going to the Logie's or something," Ms Henry said.

Ms Henry gave praise to Cacia's art teacher and Glover Prize winning artist Josh Foley, who was supportive of her journey the whole way.

"We're so lucky in Launceston that when you think about someone like Josh Foley; I'm pretty sure if you're here in Sydney, you can't even get near people like that," she said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: