About
You are invited to enter the 29th annual The International Portrait Competition, showcasing the finest in portraiture and figurative art today. The International is the world's premier portrait competition and is open to all artists– members and non-members. A variety of mediums is welcomed and encouraged. The selected finalists are required to exhibit their selected original artwork and be present at the prestigious The Art of the Portrait conference in Washington, DC - May 6-9, 2027, for final judging and awards.
Entry Rules
- Entries: participants are eligible to submit up to three artworks for consideration.
- Design & Concept: Entries must be the artist's own original design and concept and created independently after February 2022. Work created under instruction, painted over prints, AI generated or digitally created are ineligible.
- Copyright: Entrants are allowed to use photographic and digital images as reference (not AI) in the creative process, but it must be their own reference material or if the entrant has the permission of a source, the final artwork must vary enough from the source image to constitute a new original work of art.
- Handcrafted: Work must be hand crafted by the artist, not copied from another source or the use of digital or photo transfer.
- Sizes: For 2D artwork, the longest side must be no longer than 60” (unframed). For 3D artwork, the size of the sculpture should be under 34” and weigh no more than 50 pounds.
- Eligibility: The competition is open to all artists, including faculty artists that are donating their time to teach at the annual conference. But Portrait Society Executive Board Members, Gold Medal Recipients and previous Grand Prize winners are ineligible.
Important Dates
- Application Opens: September 30, 2026
- File Upload Deadline: February 17, 2027
- Finalist Notification: March 17, 2027
- Exhibition Dates: May 6-9, 2027
- Gala Awards Banquet: May 8, 2027
Entry Fee
The $75 Entry Fee covers up to 3 unique submissions. Enter by December 31, 2026, to receive the discounted early-entry fee of $55. Credit cards are accepted on-line with your submission, the fee is non-refundable and must accompany your submission.
Awards & Recognition
All finalists will be eligible for over $210,000 in cash and prizes. The Rorick Grand Prize features a $50,000 cash award, art material awards and a feature article in International Artist magazine. All Finalists receive a cash award in addition to a $1,000 shipping stipend, and recognition in The Art of the Portrait journal, the Portrait Society's website and social media with over 100,000 followers. In addition, Finalists receive complementary tuition to the 2028 The Art of the Portrait conference.
Awards will be presented at the annual conference Saturday, May 8, 2027 in the following categories:
- Grand Prize: $50,000 plus art material awards
- First Place Drawing: $5,000 plus art material awards
- First Place Painting: $5,000 plus art material awards
- First Place Sculpture: $5,000 plus art material awards
- Six Placement Awards at $2,500 plus art material awards
- Ten Exceptional Merit Awards at $2,000 plus art material awards
- Every finalist will receive a $1,000 shipping stipend
Artists selected as a finalist are required to be in attendance with their artwork to be eligible for an award. Conference tuition is complimentary for finalists; however, finalists are responsible for their own travel, hotel and shipping of their original artwork. The Portrait Society of America and the Hyatt Regency Reston are not responsible for shipping or holding fees, or for any loss or damage to artwork, regardless of cause.
Judging Process
Our goal is to present an exhibition, held in conjunction with our annual conference, showcasing the finest portrait and figurative work being created by artists around the world today. Judging is based in part on technical skill, concept and design, and originality and creativity. Finalists are selected through a rigorous nine round, two stage judging process. A three-member jury, appointed by the Chair, carefully reviews all submitted images to determine the finalists. At the conference, a separate panel of judges evaluates the original works in person and selects the final award recipients.
Formatting Your Entry
- Up to three (3) digital image files can be submitted
- Only digital entries will be accepted
- Images should ONLY be of the artwork. Do not include matting, frame, etc., in the image
- Save each file as a TIFF or JPG, no larger than 6 megabytes
- Rename your file using the artist's last name, first initial, and letter of the entry being submitted, separated by a dash (example: smith-j-a.jpg)