PORTRÁIDÍ AN SCIOBAIRÍN
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS
PORTRAITURE COMPETITION
DEADLINE: 1st JULY 12PM
Submissions accepted from artists of any level, using any visual arts medium
"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself." - Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Grey)
Skibbereen Arts Festival and Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre are excited to invite submissions to compete in Skibbereen’s 2nd Annual Portrait Artist Competition. Four artists selected through open call will create a live portrait of Cork actress, presenter, and activist Siobhán McSweeney. The event will take place over one full day on the launch day of Skibbereen Arts Festival, Friday 25th July 2025. In addition to a day fee paid to all selected artists, the competition winner will receive a cash prize of €500 plus a four-week residency at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in 2026.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please submit an application using this Google form. To make a submission, you will be asked to provide two examples of work produced in the last two years. At least one of these pieces must be an example of a portrait.
In addition you will be asked to provide: Links to your artist social media page or website | A short bio (max. 150 words) | Contact details | Your chosen media for the day and approximate scale of your work (for logistical considerations) | Confirmation of your availability for the competition date | Consent for your work from the day to be included in promotional material through Skibbereen Arts Festival’s social media channels.
The closing date for submissions is 12pm on Tuesday 1st July 2025. Four artists will be selected by the judging panel. Successful and unsuccessful artists will be notified no later than Monday 7th July 2025.
If you have any queries, please contact Alice at aliceskibbarts@gmail.com.
Scan to apply
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Friday 25th July
Time: 10am - 4.30pm (active painting/ making times approximately 11am - 1pm & 1.30pm - 3.30pm)
Location: Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen
All artists selected to participate in the event will receive a day fee of €600. This fee is inclusive of a budget for materials used on the day. Artists will be responsible for their own travel to and from the event.
The completed portraits will be hung in a prominent location in Skibbereen town centre for the duration of Skibbereen Arts Festival (25th July - 3rd August). The competition winner will be decided by a combination of public vote and a panel of judges. Voting will take place throughout the festival, with the winner announced at the close of the festival. Following the winner’s announcement at the end of the festival, ownership of the paintings will be retained by the artists.
Poster image: Last year’s winning painting of Lisa Hannigan, by Julianne Guinee