The Sussex Portrait Artist of the Year competition, formerly The Worthing Portrait Artist of the Year, is on the hunt for the best portrait painter in Sussex—could it be you?

Submissions are open for your chance to test your skills against 9 other artists in front of a live audience on the 22nd March 2025, in the grade two listed building, The Venue, in Worthing, with celebrity sitters, guest judges & a whole lot of fantastic prizes, including the title of Sussex Portrait Artist of the Year

Our open call has started and will run until 1st Oct 

In order to apply for this opportunity, please follow the steps below.

- Confirm you are a Sussex based resident (we may ask for proof of this if selected as a finalist)

- Submit one image of a portrait painted by you (this must have been painted within the last 3 years and demonstrate a style similar to what you could replicate in a live painting final)

- Pay the submission fee of £10

Key dates:

- Submissions close on 1st October 2024

- All entries will be judged by our panel of experts, and successful finalists will be notified in early December 2024

- The live painting final will consist of 9 finalists, painting 1 of 3 celebrity sitters over 4 hours. 

The final will be ticketed and open to the public. The approximate event timings will be 12 pm—6 pm on Saturday, 22nd March 2025, with the winner/runners-up announced towards the latter part of the event.

- There will be a chance to display and sell your submitted artwork.

- Artists must be comfortable painting in a live setting. Phones and tablets will be permitted to capture reference photos of the sitters.

- If you are unable to attend the event, we request that you let us know asap (no later than 48 hours before) so that we can replace you with a reserve artist.