The RP Announces New Awards for 2026

A £5,000 purchase prize will be awarded to a picture which is for sale (at a price not exceeding £5,000) and which, in the opinions of the nominated RP panel and representatives of the Almenara Collection, is agreed to be a worthy addition to the Almenara Collection.

A prize of £5,000 will be awarded to the drawing deemed by the judges to be the most distinguished and searching drawing in the annual show.

Daler-Rowney materials to the value of £1,000 will be awarded to the artist who in the opinion of the judging panel has submitted a picture to the annual show which is exceptional, either in terms of its imaginative response to the sitter or its technical achievement.

These new prizes accompany several existing and prestigious awards:

• The William Lock Portrait Prize: £20,000 for the most timeless portrait with a real feeling for paint and its aesthetic potential. Plus two runner-up prizes of £500 each.
• The de Laszlo Foundation Award: £3,000 for the most outstanding portrait by an artist aged 35 years or under, plus four Highly Commended awards of £500 each.
• The Raw Umber Studios Prize: Raw Umber Studios believes that the most exciting contemporary portraiture lies at the intersection of technical excellence and creative expression. Their annual prize, inaugurated in 2023, encourages and rewards such work. Value £2,000.
• The RP Prize for the Best Small Portrait: A prize of £2,000 for the best small portrait in the exhibition, measuring not more than 38 x 30.5 cm (15 x 12 inches) unframed.