Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2027

The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2027 is an international portrait painting competition organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London. It invites artists worldwide to submit contemporary portrait paintings based on life sittings or studies, painted predominantly in oil, tempera or acrylic. The award offers substantial cash prizes, a Young Artist Award for artists aged 30 or under, and selected works will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Artists selected for the 2026 and 2027 Portrait Award exhibitions will also be considered for the biennial Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Artist Commission.

First Prize £35,000; Second Prize £12,000; Third Prize £10,000; Young Artist Award £9,000. Selected works exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, and consideration for a £14,000 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Artist Commission.

Open to artists worldwide aged 18 years or over as of 1 January 2026. Artists aged 30 or under as of that date are eligible for the Young Artist Award.

Submit one high-quality JPG/JPEG image (max 3 MB) of the artwork; one entry per artist; entry fee applies (£40 standard, with concessions). Selected entrants will be required to deliver original artwork to a London judging venue.