Michael Ryan, aged 10, from Kilmaley, Co Clare has been announced as the winner of the 7-11 category at the National Gallery of Ireland’s AIB Young Portrait Prize.
His work, a portrait in paint on paper titled In Deep Thought, was revealed as the winning category portrait during a prize-giving ceremony at the Gallery, with the artist being awarded a personalised box of art materials alongside a cash prize of €250.
Speaking on his portrait, Michael said “Painted using acrylic paints and a variety of loose brushstrokes showing feelings rather than tiny details; the person looks like they are in deep thought. You can see big blue eyes, dark hair, and a calm face. The background is full of soft blue colours, almost like the sky or water. The hand near the face suggests a person resting or maybe daydreaming. It’s a picture that makes you wonder what the person could be thinking about.”
The winners of the AIB Young Portrait Prize were announced at the National Gallery of Ireland on 25 November 2025. Guorui Sui, aged 11, was selected as the overall winner of the AIB Young Portrait Prize for his work My Own World of Fantasy. The prize includes a wooden box of high-quality art materials and a €500 cash prize.
Rohan Agrawal, aged 6, won the youngest category of 6 years and under with Me and My Curls, a work in oil pastel and acrylic on canvas. Guess How Much I Love You, gouache and polychromos colour pencils on canvas, by Jiayi Sun, aged 15, was the winner of the category for ages 12-15. Jill Tritschler, aged 18, won the final category of 16-18 with Minerva, oil on canvas. Each category winner is awarded a personalised box of art materials alongside a prize of €250.
In his artist statement, Guorui Sui said, “This self-portrait captures me in my happy place — surrounded by my favourite toys, away from the real world where not everything goes your way. I’m 11, nearing those “teenage years” everyone talks about. I know the “grown-up” world is coming, with its complexities and worries. So I’m soaking up every last bit of being a kid. Maybe I’m a “late bloomer” or just refusing to leave the era of pure innocence. I’m happy to be its king for a little longer.”
The judges for this year’s prize were: Cian O’Brien of COBA: Cian O’Brien Arts; Neil-Jack (Alphonsus) Hamilton, artist; and Alice Rekab, artist.
Commenting on their selection, the judging panel said, “It was a joy to judge the 2025 AIB Young Portrait Prize. The young artists showed such imagination and confidence, and each piece had its own story to tell. It was wonderful to see so much curiosity and creativity on display, and we would like to thank everyone who entered, and congratulate all the shortlisted artists and winners. They should be very proud of what they’ve created.”
The winner of the AIB Portrait Prize announced at the ceremony was Daniel Nelis with his work Late Spring, a portrait in oil on panel. Along with a €15,000 prize, Nelis will also receive a €5,000 commission to create a new work for the National Portrait Collection.
John Foley and Conor O’Leary received highly commended prizes of €1,500 for their works Biddy Boy and The Final Portrait.
Daniel Nelis, on his work Late Spring, said, “This work is of my wife, Andrea, painted in the months before our marriage. Andrea has been a recurring presence in my work. The painting does not seek to sentimentalise our relationship, but to bear witness through an intimate and intrusive lens, with elements such as the fabrics and heather rendered with the same scrutiny as the figure. Such moments of quiet reflection, experienced in the vivid reality of the present, are of greatest interest in my work.”
Daniel Nelis is a visual artist, curator and art educator from County Donegal. Rooted in the desolate boglands of his home, his paintings capture moments of stillness and contemplation, and through the intimacy of the mark-making, register Nelis’s heightened awareness of the incursions of time. Nelis studied Fine Art Painting at Ulster University, later completing an MA in Art History, Collections and Curating at University College Dublin. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, at the National Portrait Gallery, London, the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts.
The judges for the AIB Portrait Prize were: Gareth Reid, artist; Professor Emily Mark-FitzGerald, Professor in the School of Art History & Cultural Policy in UCD; and Dr Barbara Dawson, Director of the Hugh Lane Gallery.
Commenting on their selection, the judging panel said, “It has been a privilege to serve as the judges for the 2025 AIB Portrait Prize. The standard of submissions was exceptional, reflecting the remarkable creativity and skill of artists working across Ireland today. Choosing the final winners was both inspiring and challenging, as the shortlisted works demonstrated such diversity of approach and strength of vision. Congratulations to Daniel Nelis, John Foley and Conor O’Leary, to the artists whose work features in this outstanding exhibition, and thanks to all those who submitted work to the competition.”
Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said, “It has been a pleasure to see our visitors engage with this wonderful selection of portraits by artists of all ages at the National Gallery of Ireland. I’d like to thank and commend every artist who applied to the competitions, and offer my congratulations to our winners, who have impressed the judges and our visitors with their talent. I would also like to thank our sponsors AIB, with whom we are delighted to be working again on this important showcase of Irish portraiture.”
Colin Hunt, Chief Executive Officer of AIB, added, “AIB are immensely proud to support the immense talent on display in the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize. I would urge people to take the time to visit the National Gallery of Ireland to see for themselves the quality and variety of works in the exhibition. We congratulate this year’s winners Daniel Nelis and Guorui Sui, and all artists whose work will be shown for months to come.’’
The AIB Portrait Prize exhibition, featuring 26 shortlisted works in total, is now open at the National Gallery of Ireland. It will run until 15 March 2026 alongside the AIB Young Portrait Prize exhibition of 20 shortlisted portraits. Both exhibitions will also be showcased in the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny from 04 April – 20 July, and the Waterford Gallery of Art from 18 July – 11 October 2026.
Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.