06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
AIB Portrait Prize seeks Wicklow applications after success of two Garden County artists
Run by the National Gallery, the AIB Portrait Prize highlights contemporary portraiture, welcomes entries from artists working in all media, both in Ireland and from Irish artists living abroad. The AIB Young Portrait Prize invites submissions from artists aged 18 and under.
Hundreds of artworks by artists working across all disciplines are considered by an expert judging panel, to be announced in the coming months.
Last year, Arann McCormack, from Greystones, received a highly commended prize in the AIB Portrait Prize 2024 with her piece 'I Never Promised you a Rose Garden', which delved into the intricate relationship that young women cultivate with themselves during their adolescence, highlighting the lessons they learn during this inherently traumatic yet creatively charged period of their life.
Meanwhile in the AIB Young Portrait Prize 2024, Allanah McDonald Brown (5), from Arklow, was announced as a winner in the category for ages 6 and under, for her portrait 'Allanah the Mermaid'.
Dr Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: "The AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize provide a platform to spotlight the exceptional talent of Irish portrait artists while encouraging the public to engage with modern Irish portraiture.
"Each year, the works selected showcase an impressive diversity of artistic voices. We are proud to continue our partnership with AIB and look forward to seeing the inspirations and subjects that have sparked creativity among artists of all generations."
The winning artist in the AIB Portrait Prize will be awarded a prize of €15,000 and a commission worth €5,000 to produce a new work for inclusion in the national portrait collection. Two additional prizes of €1,500 are awarded to highly commended works.
The AIB Young Portrait Prize aims to foster and support creativity, originality, and self-expression in children and young people. There are four age categories: aged 6 and under, 7–11, 12–15, and 16–18. Winners in each category, as well as an overall winner, are selected from a shortlist of works. Prizes include a bespoke art box and a cash prize for the winner.
