Press Release: AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2026 shortlists announced

46 artists shortlisted from 18 counties across the island of Ireland.

Exhibitions run from 14 November 2026.

From hundreds of entries, the shortlists for this year’s AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize have been announced by the National Gallery of Ireland. 26 artists, working across a variety of media, have made it through to the final stage of the AIB Portrait Prize, while 20 young artists aged up to eighteen years of age have been shortlisted for the AIB Young Portrait Prize.

The AIB Portrait Prize shortlist includes paintings, video, pastel, mixed media and photography by artists from across the country. The winner of the AIB 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. Two additional awards of €1,500 will be given to highly commended works. Judges for the AIB Portrait Prize 2026 are Dr Brian Fay, artist and lecturer at TU Dublin; Christina Kennedy, Senior Curator, Head of Collections at the Irish Museum of Modern Art; and Dr Joseph McBrinn, Art Historian and Lecturer at Belfast School of Art.

The AIB Young Portrait Prize showcases the artistic talent of young people aged eighteen and under. Winners in each of the four categories (6 and under, 7–11, 12–15, and 16–18) as well as an overall winner, will be selected from the shortlist. Category winners will receive a bespoke art box and a cash prize. The overall competition winner will be awarded a personalised wooden box of high-quality art materials and a cash prize of €500. This year’s AIB Young Portrait Prize judges are Amanda Coogan, artist; Carl Hickey, artist; and Donna Rose, Curator at the National Museum of Ireland.

The exhibition of the shortlisted portraits in both competitions will be on display in the Portrait Gallery (Room 23) at the National Gallery of Ireland from 14 November 2026 – 14 March 2027. The winners of the Prizes will be announced at a ceremony held in the National Gallery of Ireland on 2 December 2026.

The Gallery is delighted to partner with Galway Arts Centre and Limerick City Gallery of Art to present the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2026. Following their display at the National Gallery of Ireland, the exhibitions will travel to Galway Arts Centre from 3 April to 27 June 2027, and to Limerick City Gallery of Art from 9 July to 15 August 2027.

Shortlisted artists for the AIB Portrait Prize 2026 at the National Gallery of Ireland

  • Aideen Barry (Silvermines, Co. Tipperary), The Creator of Birds, After Varo, 2025, photograph

  • Alannah Henry (Bray, Co. Wicklow), Sa Samhradh, photograph

  • Beverley Healy (Belfast, Co. Antrim), The Known and the Unknown (Elsa and Carlton), egg tempera and pencil on vegan gesso panels 

  • Breda Kenny (Kildangan, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare), Making a Splash, Pastel on board

  • David Goldberg (Co. Dublin), Listening, oil on canvas on board

  • David Killeen (Raheny, Co. Dublin), Cricky Sea, Sandycove, December 2025, photograph

  • Diego Fabro (Co. Dublin), Reverie 26 "Venetia", photograph

  • Domnick Sorace (Co. Dublin), Self-Extended, artist's blood, distilled water, hollow glass spheres and resin

  • Elaine Adams (Kilmainham, Co. Dublin), Candid, photograph

  • Emma Coady (Rush, Co. Dublin), There's an Artist in My Kitchen, oil on canvas

  • Enda Burke (Galway City), Dad and Elvis, photograph

  • Evan Dow (Co. Dublin), Marie Mullen, oil on steel

  • Evanna Devine (Belfast, Co. Antrim), Frank Flannelly, Farmer from Easkey, Co. Sligo. 6 April, 2026, photograph 

  • Gary Sheridan (Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan), Moments in Between: The Story of My Life, video 

  • Ivy Borden (Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare), Oikos Logia (I), tapestry woven on cotton with hand-spun wool, dyed with nettle, dock leaf and madder root and photograph 

  • Joe Caslin (Roscommon, Co. Roscommon), Seen, pencil and digital drawing on paper

  • Jonathan Dickson (Celbridge, Co. Kildare), Theo (Almost) Hiding Behind a Tree in the Phoenix Park., oil on canvas

  • Kathy Tynan (Co. Dublin), Sunday Morning, oil on canvas

  • Marcel Vidal (Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny), Allergy, oil on linen

  • Mark Fisher (Stradbally, Co. Laois), Belly Boy, acrylic on canvas

  • Mary Woods (Rathmore, Co. Kerry), Generation Game, acrylic on canvas

  • Merve Sagit (Walkinstown, Co. Dublin), Ritual Study I, photograph

  • Michelle Boyle (Virginia, Co. Cavan), Edith's Night Out, a Pint and a Half One, acrylic on hardboard

  • Paul MacCormaic (Kilbarrack, Co. Dublin), Sister Stan in the Office of the Sanctuary, acrylic and oil on canvas

  • Rebecca Kehoe (North Strand, Co. Dublin), D A M O C L E S, graphite and polychromos pencil on paper

  • Rowan Williams Huber (Kinsale, Co. Cork), Rico, photograph

Shortlisted artists for the AIB Young Portrait Prize 2026 at the National Gallery of Ireland

  • Ziiti DiMaio, Age 5 (Clongriffin, Co. Dublin), Mama, photograph

  • Tessa Brennan, Age 6 (Tullamore, Co. Offaly), Gaga Dom, pen on paper

  • Victoria Muradova, Age 6 (Sandyford, Co. Dublin), The Butterfly Chose Me, paint and pencils on paper

  • Fiadh O'Neill, Age 6 (Ballinteer, Co. Dublin), Swimming in the Sea, paint, pencil, dried flowers and gems on paper

  • Zoe Frida Wiercioch Chinatamunnee, Age 6 (Loch Gowna, Co. Cavan), This Is Me, Zoe, acrylic on paper

  • Elizaveta Egoshina, Age 9 (Stepaside, Co. Dublin), Sunny Days in Mount Congreve Gardens, watercolour and pencil on paper

  • Robin Corrigan, Age 10 (Rathmines, Co. Dublin), Me, acrylic on paper

  • Adam Wiercioch Chinatamunnee, Age 10 (Loch Gowna, Co. Cavan), Carlos the Creative Soul, clay and acrylic on a wooden base

  • Michael Ryan, Age 11 (Ennis, Co. Clare), My Grandad's Smile, oil on canvas

  • Emily Yilin Situ, Age 11 (Stillorgan, Dublin), Kindness in a Note, oil pastel on paper

  • Charlotte Leahy, Age 14 (Rathgar, Co. Dublin), Girl with a Yellow Hat, acrylic on paper

  • Silke Semmler Marin, Age 14 (Donnycarney, Co. Dublin), Radiant Seasons, oil on canvas

  • Eve Harrigan, Age 15 (Shannon, Co. Clare), You Belong Here, oil and pencil on paper

  • Bentley O'Balogun, Age 15 (Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim), Oldest Trick in the Book, oil on canvas

  • Haomiao Xu, Age 15 (Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin), Snatches of Springtime, gouache and pencil on canvas

  • Eva Boyle, Age 16 (Carryduff, Co. Down), Do I Know You Yet, acrylic on canvas

  • Isla Case, Age 16 (Donard, Co. Wicklow), Immersed, oil on canvas

  • Aoibhinn McDermott, Age 17 (Malin Head, Co. Donegal), What I'm Really Reaching For, video

  • Aoife Newman, Age 17 (Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork), Come Out, We're At the Curb, acrylic paint on canvas

  • Ruaidhrí Condon, Age 18 (Dún Laoghaire, Dublin), Distractions, oil on canvas

Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “We are proud to be working with AIB on the annual AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize again in 2026. Watching entries arrive is a highlight of our year, and the shortlist this year demonstrates an incredible breadth of Irish artistic talent. We look forward to the exhibitions later this year at the Gallery and next year in the Galway Arts Centre and the Limerick City Gallery of Art.”

Colin Hunt, Chief Executive Officer at AIB, said: “We are delighted to share the shortlist for the 2026  AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize. These portraits demonstrate the wonderful creativity of portrait artists of all ages in communities across the country, and we are thrilled to see such a strong selection of works once again in this year’s shortlists. AIB is proud to continue its sponsorship of these exciting competitions at the National Gallery of Ireland.”

Media Contact

Notes to Editor

  • Images are available to download. Email [email protected]
  • The Director of the Gallery, Dr Caroline Campbell, and artists for both the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize are available for interview.

Exhibition information

  • The AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize exhibitions will be on display in Portrait Gallery (Room 23), National Gallery of Ireland from 14 November 2026 to 14 March 2027. 
  • The winners of the Prizes will be announced at a ceremony held in the National Gallery of Ireland on 2 December 2026.
  • The exhibitions will travel to the Galway Arts Centre from 3 April to 27 June 2027, and to Limerick City Gallery of Art from 9 July to 15 August 2027.

About the National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired. For more information see:

About AIB

AIB is a leading financial services group operating predominantly in Ireland and the United Kingdom. We serve our 3.5 million customers through core business areas in Retail Banking, Capital Markets and Climate Capital. Guided by our purpose to empower people to build a sustainable future, our ambition is to be at the heart of our customers’ financial lives. With strategic priorities centred on putting customers first, accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy and driving operational efficiency and resilience, we aim to deliver sustainable, long-term value to all our stakeholders, the economy and communities.
 

 

 

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