America. First awarded in their 2005 International Competition, he has gone on to garner further awards including Best of Show (2011) and Certificate of Excellence (2017 & 2019). In the Society’s Membership Only competition, he received Honourable Mentions and Merit Awards in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and twice First Place in the highly contested Commissioned category (2016 & 2018). In 2018, the Society granted Ploeg the highly prized lifelong Signature Status. In 2015, Ploeg was selected as one of 10 artists worldwide to compete in the New York Grand Central Academy’s Alla Prima Portrait Competition, whose works were exhibited in a month-long show at Eleventh St Arts in Long Island. Earlier (in 2014 & 2005), he had participated in the Macquarie Bank-sponsored Portrait Artists Australia exhibition held in the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. Other international accolades include long-listed works in the BP Portrait Award in London, UK (2015 & 2016). Nationally, in addition to his Archibald awards, he also won the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize (2005), has been a multiple finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, six-time finalist in the Black Swan Portrait Prize (Western Australia) and has three works in St John Ambulance, with the last one having been unveiled at Government House in Canberra in 2019. Honours and Awards Roll 2019: Certificate of Excellence – International Competition (Portrait Society of America) 2018 Lifelong Signature Status (Portrait Society of America) Semi Finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Winner Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category (Portrait Society of America) 2017: Certificate of Excellence – International Competition (Portrait Society of America) Finalist – Black Swan Portrait Prize 2016: Long-listed BP Portrait Award, London Winner Hunters Hill Art Prize Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize Winner Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category (Portrait Society of America) Finalist Art Renewal Centre – 12th International Salon 2015: Long-listed BP Portrait Award, London Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Merit Award Members Only Competition – Commissioned Category (Portrait Society of America) 2014: Finalist Archibald Portrait Prize Finalist Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize 2nd Place Members Only Competition – Non-Commissioned Category (Portrait Society of America) Finalist Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2013: Honourable Mention Portfolio Submission (Portrait Society of America) Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize 2012: Honourable Mention Members Only Competition – Non-Commissioned Category (Portrait Society of America) Certificate of Excellence – International Competition (Portrait Society of