Entries are now being accepted for the Zurich Portrait Prize and the Zurich Young Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland.
For the Portrait Prize, the annual competition showcasing contemporary portraiture, the gallery invites submissions from across the island of Ireland, and from Irish artists living abroad.
The Young Portrait Prize, now in its second year, is open to young people aged 18 and under.
The Portrait Prize aims to encourage interest in contemporary portraiture and to 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 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 Young Portrait Prize is open to children and young people of all abilities aged up to 18 from across the island of Ireland.
There will be winners in four age categories 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 director of the National Gallery of Ireland, Sean Rainbird, said: "In these extraordinary times, we hope to bring joy to those staying at home with art.
"Today we open the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize, offering artists of all ages an opportunity to connect with their own creativity and with the gallery.
"It’s wonderful to have the support of Zurich for the coming years: we are confident that culture will remain central to people’s lives, even in challenging times."
The closing date for entries to the Portrait Prize and Young Portrait Prize is 1 July.
Exhibitions featuring shortlisted works in both competitions run at the National Gallery of Ireland from 21 November 2020 – 21 March 2021.
Details of both competitions can be found at www.nationalgallery.ie.
