Four Corkonians make portrait prize shortlist

Alex O'Sullivan

4 Cork entries have been shortlisted for one of the country's best known portrait competition.

The National Gallery of Ireland recently announced that Rachel Ballagh, David Creedon and Marc O'Sullivan Vallig are on the shortlist for the Zurich Portrait Prize while Róisín Ryan is shortlisted for the Zurich Young Portrait Prize.

The winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize 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. 2 additional awards of €1,500 will be given to highly commended works.

The Zurich Young Portrait Prize returns for its fourth year in 2022. 5 winners be selected from young people ages 4 to 18 from across the island of Ireland. The overall competition winner will be awarded a personalised wooden box of high-quality art materials, and a cash prize of €500. All 20 shortlisted entrants will have their artwork professionally framed.

Sean Rainbird, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “The Zurich Portrait Prize is now firmly established as an annual opportunity for artists of all ages to submit work for assessment by an independent panel of judges. The gallery is delighted that this exhibition gives many new and returning artists the opportunity to show their work in the National Gallery of Ireland.”

Neil Freshwater, CEO of Zurich, said: “The Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize brings together the remarkable breadth of talent in Ireland’s portrait artists of all ages. We are delighted to see such a strong selection of works once again in this year’s shortlists and very proud to continue our sponsorship of these exciting competitions.”