Final call-out to Mayo artists to enter national art competition
The National Gallery of Ireland is issuing a final call-out to artists of all ages in Mayo to enter the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize 2023. The closing date for entries is 10 p.m. on June 21.
The Zurich Portrait Prize aims to encourage interest in contemporary portraiture and showcase the National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland. The winner of the competition will receive a cash prize of €15,000 and will be commissioned to create a work for the National Portrait Collection, for which they will be awarded a further €5,000. Two additional awards of €1,500 will be given to highly commended works.
The judges of the competition are: Dorothy Cross, RHA, artist; Dr. Nick Cullinan, director, National Portrait Gallery, London; and Anne Stewart, senior curator of art, National Museums Northern Ireland.
The Zurich Young Portrait Prize, which aims to foster and support creativity, originality and self-expression in children and young people, returns for its fifth year in 2023. The competition is split into four age categories and is open to young people of all abilities aged up to 18 from across the country. Winners in each age category and an overall winner will be chosen from a shortlist of 20 works. Winners will receive a bespoke art box and a cash prize.
The judges of this competition are: Jessica O’Donnell, head of education and community outreach, Hugh Lane Gallery; Ola Majekodunmi, writer, broadcaster and producer; and Tom McLean, visual artist and curator.
Highly commended artists and an overall winner for the Zurich Portrait Prize, as well as category winners and an overall winner for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, will be announced in early December 2023, after the exhibitions have opened at the gallery. An exhibition featuring a shortlist of portraits chosen by the judging panel will go on display in the gallery from December 2 this year until March 10 next year. Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.