THE RP DRAWING PRIZE - The Royal Society of Portrait Painters

INAUGURAL DRAWING EXHIBITION

Prize for Drawing: £5,000

2025 Winner –

Caroline Burraway,’Tarik: The Face of a Modern Diaspora’

Category: Prizes

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

To promote the practice of and further excellence in painted portraiture

Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 days ago

Today we share the sixth snippet... of an Expert Panel Discussion, hosted by James Nicholls of Nicholls Art Group, on the occasion of an exhibition of Arnold Friberg paintings at the Mall Galleries. The talk is chaired by renowned curator Dr Alison Smith, with three of our RP member award winning artists Miriam Escofet, Antony Williams and Frances Bell. They talk about their work, their very particular working processes and the ideas that go into their portraits.Alison Smith was formerly lead curator at Tate Britain, chief curator of the National Portrait Gallery, and is now director of collections and research at the Wallace Collection. Miriam Escofet has won several awards, including first prize for the BP Portrait Award 2018 at the NPG, she was subsequently commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the Foreign Office. Antony Williams has won multiple awards, including the RP Ondaatje Prize twice and first prize at the HSF Portrait Award 2024 at the NPG, he was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 as part of his Ondaatje Prize. Frances Bell has won multiple awards, including the RP William Locke Prize and the prestigious Grand Draper Prize for the Portrait Society of America International Competition in 2025You can watch the full, very insightful discussion on our YouTube via the link in our bio or here: youtu.be/VsviH_zHmuwFilm: James Nicholls@james_nicholls_art ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

5 days ago

#DrawingPrizeExhibition2026:OPEN CALL!Today we share some information from one of last years exhibitors Daniel Juric..."The charcoal portrait focused on expression and mood. I worked on the piece for about ten hours. While drawing, I repeatedly listened to "Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack, and the atmosphere of the song strongly influenced the direction of the portrait. The model’s expression and the feeling of the music came together as the main inspiration for the work. The Rhythm of the mark making is also an expression of the song ! The fleeting quality of charcoal makes it my favourite drawing medium. I dare to say I have pretty mastered it by now. I also love using texture to lead the eye through my drawings.As an artist, I have spent the past ten years studying the great masters of art and learning from their techniques and approaches. Rather than focusing heavily on competitions or bussiness, I have mainly dedicated my time to developing my craft through daily practice and observation. On the occasions I have taken part in competitions, the experience has always been very positive and encouraging. Art is the central focus of my life, and I work on my craft every day with the goal of continually improving and becoming the best artist I can be. It never ends."-Daniel JuricSubmit here or link in bio: therp.co.uk/the-rp-drawing-prize/Deadline: 28th July, 5pmImage: Daniel Juric, 'Paradise Circus'@juniq_art ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

7 days ago

#Callforentries:Our Critical Writing Prize OPEN CALL is here so if you're a creative writer, we want to hear from you!An award for new writing on any aspect of contemporary portrait painting.The prize is open to all.--Three of the applicants will be selected to submit their complete texts and awarded either the first prize of £500 or one of two ‘special mention’ prizes of £250.All three texts will be published in the RP Annual Exhibition Catalogue published in May (2027). The catalogue is a well-established document of record within the sector.One of the aims of the prize is to provide a platform for aspiring writers on the visual arts and specifically to spark intelligent conversation about the contemporary portrait.Find out more: www.therp.co.uk or go to the link in our bio.-Check out our past years winning essays!DEADLINE: Midnight, 2nd December 2026Image: Jason Walker RP, 'Natalie with Beanie'@jasonwalker070 ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

#DrawingPrizeExhibition2026:OPEN CALL!Selected works will be exhibited at the University of Hull Art Gallery, with up to 120 artworks chosen by a distinguished panel.And today we share and small Q&A we had with one of last years exhibitors Michele Liebler with their portrait titled 'Self Portrait - Journey'How long did your portrait take to make? Is there anything about the process you’d like to share? "For three months, I worked a few hours a week to complete this self-portrait. I started by lightly sketching with graphite to find the structure and contour and intermittently smudged and erased working with the delicate gray shiny medium of the graphite to find the image. I continued to work inside and outside the contour lines of the face as I looked at myself in the mirror. In the final stage, charcoal was lightly applied on top of the graphite in selective areas of the face and background to unify the self-portrait. Is there anything about the sitter you’d like to share?I was the sitter for this self-portrait. By portraying myself in the act of drawing, a journey began in search for the complex relationships between details and broader shapes. Self Portrait -TheJourney emulates the formalistic style influenced from past traditions pictured in postcards of paintings and drawings of artists I love so much on the wall behind me in my studio: Paula Rego, Vincent Van Gogh, Alice Neel, Richard Diebenkorn, and Egon Schiele. I imagined entering into a dialogue with them across time and space. What is your background with portraiture?Psychological awareness and the human condition have always been the catalyst for the portraits I paint. I have focused on the faces and figures of the people I know best: family, friends, neighbors, and my own image. At the core of every face I paint and draw is to capture the essence of the person’s life in raw form. -Selected self-portraits have been exhibited at National Academy Museum, New York, NY, Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York, Arnot Art Museum, Elmira NY. And awarded for specific merit from the Elizabeth Greenshields Grant and The Stefan Hirsch Award. Submit here or link in bio: therp.co.uk/the-rp-drawing-prize/Deadline: 28th July, 5pmWe look forward to seeing your portraits!Image: Michele Liebler 'Self Portrait - Journey'Graphite and charcoal on paper35 x 35 cm @micheleliebler ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

Today we share the fifth snippet... of an Expert Panel Discussion, hosted by James Nicholls of Nicholls Art Group, on the occasion of an exhibition of Arnold Friberg paintings at the Mall Galleries. The talk is chaired by renowned curator Dr Alison Smith, with three of our RP member award winning artists Miriam Escofet, Antony Williams and Frances Bell. They talk about their work, their very particular working processes and the ideas that go into their portraits.Alison Smith was formerly lead curator at Tate Britain, chief curator of the National Portrait Gallery, and is now director of collections and research at the Wallace Collection. Miriam Escofet has won several awards, including first prize for the BP Portrait Award 2018 at the NPG, she was subsequently commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the Foreign Office. Antony Williams has won multiple awards, including the RP Ondaatje Prize twice and first prize at the HSF Portrait Award 2024 at the NPG, he was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 as part of his Ondaatje Prize. Frances Bell has won multiple awards, including the RP William Locke Prize and the prestigious Grand Draper Prize for the Portrait Society of America International Competition in 2025You can watch the full, very insightful discussion on our YouTube via the link in our bio or here: youtu.be/VsviH_zHmuwFilm: James Nicholls@james_nicholls_art ... See MoreSee Less

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