Open Call – The RP Writing Prize
An award for new writing on any aspect of contemporary portrait painting.
The prize is open to all.
The Judges were delighted by the response for the second RP Critical Writing Prize.
The variety and the accomplishment of the proposals really persuaded all concerned that there is a live and continuing conversation going on and we are excited to be part of it.
By encouraging and publishing new writing we hope to expand and enliven this exchange which is central to the concerns of the Society.
Applicants are invited to send the title and the first 200 words of their essay to: luke@therp.co.uk
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 (2026). The catalogue is a well-established document of record within the sector.
PRIZE
- £500 First Prize
- £250 Two Special Mentions
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.
THE PANEL
Anthony Connolly ~ President of The Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Alexander Marr ~ Professor of Renaissance and Early Modern Art, University of Cambridge
Laura Gascoigne ~ Art Critic
Alison Smith ~ Chief Curator NPG
ELIGIBILITY
The prize is open to all and is free to enter.
Submissions must be in the English language.
There is no age limit.
No formal education or qualification is required to apply for this prize.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit the following:
Applicants are invited to send the title and the first 200 words of their essay on the contemporary painted or drawn portrait which, if successful, would be published in its full form in the Annual RP Catalogue. The full (final) text should be approximately 1000 words and not more than 1500 words. The text could be a review of a forthcoming exhibition, of an existing piece of work, or it could take a more creative or experimental form.
Please send the title and first 200 words to: luke@therp.co.uk
Please note that we are looking for texts which are enquiring, provoking, and jargon-free. We are not looking for academic dissertations or specialist scholarly papers, couched in highly technical or theoretical language, so it is not advisable to submit academic texts.
*The 2025 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters runs from 8th May to 17th May and may be a source of reference, although this is not a condition of eligibility.
We recommend you read the winning texts from the 2023 & 2024 competitions.
– (Keep scrolling down to view these).
You might also wish to read published works in established journals for reference.
Please note, your texts may be used to promote the work of the Society and this prize – in print and on the Society’s website and various social media outlets.
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
We strongly encourage all writers, regardless of age, ethnicity, income, disability or gender to apply,
If for any reason you face barriers to making this type of application, please contact: luke@therp.co.uk at least two weeks in advance of the submission deadline to discuss how we might be able to make adjustments to the application requirements to facilitate your application.
We are, however, unable to extend the deadline.
Privacy
The personal data you give us in submitting to this prize will only be used to process your submission and will be shared with members of the selection panel. We will only contact you in connection to this submission. Your personal data will be kept by the RP for up to 10 years and will only be used by that organisation for its own research, evaluation, reporting and marketing analysis. It will not be passed on to anyone else. If you want to be removed from the Society’s database you can email: luke@therp.co.uk
You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office if you wish to complain about how your information has been handled.
