Talented South Africans are being called upon to enter the country’s premier portrait competition.
The Rust-en-Vrede Gallery announced that the entry process for the seventh Rust-en-Vrede Portrait Award open on 5 June.
Submissions for the competition, in which R200 000 in prize monies can be won, will close on 14 June.
The top 40 finalists will also be featured in a group exhibition and included in a national touring show.
The 2025 Portrait Award continues to champion inclusivity and artistic innovation, offering a platform for emerging and established talent alike.
“This competition is about providing a playing field for all and celebrating meaningful artistic expression,” said Donavan Mynhardt, curator at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery.
“Portraiture remains one of the most accessible and relatable genres in art history – a genre that speaks directly to our shared humanity.”
Deemed to hold great value in unleashing creative art and offering emerging artists the much-needed platform to expose their talent, the competition was established in 2013 and is held every two years.
“A portrait says so much
more – you have to include the psychology and background of the person.
“We encourage entries that push the boundaries of what a portrait can be – works that explore identity, emotion and the complexity of human connection.
“Today, portraiture remains a vital form of storytelling and a mirror to both personal and collective experience,” said Mynhardt.
“We have seen artists without formal training make it into the top 40. This competition is about vision and execution, not resume. We want to remove as many of those obstacles as we can, particularly for underrepresented artists.”
The first prize is R150 000, plus a solo exhibition at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery.
The second prize is R30 000, and third prize R20 000.
The competition is open for candidates aged 18 years and older, as of 1 January, permanently residing in South Africa.
Entries must be two-
dimensional, created using any drawing or painting medium,
including but not limited to
pencil, charcoal, ballpoint pen, pastel, acrylic, oil, textile or mixed media. Photography is not permitted.
Each portrait must be based on a real person known to the artist, who has granted permission for their likeness to be used or depicted graphically.
If using a photographic reference, the artist must have taken the photograph with the permission of the subject.
The first round of judging is based on digital submissions. From there, about 200 to 300 works are selected for a second round of in-person adjudication.
Artists whose work is selected for the second round will be
required to send their physical work to the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery.
Artists may make use of the free delivery service provided at designated Stuttaford Van Line depots in Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
Details are available on the gallery’s website.
Multiple entries are allowed, but each artwork counts as one entry.
Entries can be submitted via rust-en-vrede.com/portrait-award.
