FAQs

Yes. There is no limit to the number of students or entries a school can submit. Each student can enter as many different original artworks as they like, but a separate entry form must be completed for each artwork.

Yes. Students can create their artwork at school, as part of a class or independently, provided the work is original and meets the competition guidelines.

Teachers can support and encourage students throughout the creative process, but the submitted artwork must be the student’s own original work. Teachers should not create, substantially alter or finish an artwork on a student’s behalf.

The competition is designed around individual young artists. If an artwork has been created collaboratively, please check the competition terms or contact the RTÉ This Is Art! team before submitting to confirm whether it is eligible and how it should be entered.

Yes. Where parental or guardian consent is required, this must be provided as part of the entry process. Teachers should ensure students and their parents/guardians understand the permissions being given before an entry is submitted.

Yes, a school or teacher email address can be used to support the submission process where appropriate. Please make sure the contact details provided are accurate and that the student’s parent/guardian can be contacted if required.

A smartphone or digital camera can be used to take a clear, high-resolution photograph of the artwork. Schools can also support students by photographing or scanning work on their behalf.

Please take a clear, well-lit photograph or scan of the artwork, ideally straight-on and without glare, shadows or anything obscuring the work. Image files must be under 7MB and can be JPG or PNG.

The second image is used for verification purposes only. It helps us confirm that the artwork belongs to the young person who entered it. This image will not be displayed in the digital gallery; only the artwork image will be shown.

Yes, a teacher or school can help with the verification photograph. Please make sure the appropriate permissions are in place before taking or submitting any image of a student.

Yes, provided the artwork was created within the last year and has not previously been submitted to another competition. Each entry must be an original piece created by the student and in the theme of 'This is Us!'

No. Artwork submitted to RTÉ This Is Art! must be unique to this competition and must not have been submitted to another competition previously.

Students should avoid creating artwork that copies or closely resembles existing intellectual property, including characters, superheroes and popstars. Artwork should be the student’s own original creative work.

Artwork created using Artificial Intelligence generation tools, templates, colour-by-numbers or similar techniques is not eligible. Students can use digital tools where the resulting artwork is genuinely their own original creative work, in line with the competition guidelines.

The competition is open to young people of all abilities and backgrounds. Teachers are encouraged to support students in accessing and completing the entry process. If you have a specific accessibility question or need support with an entry, please contact the RTÉ This Is Art! team at hello@thisisart.ie.

Entries will be checked by our moderators and, where approved, added to the digital gallery. The gallery will be updated regularly. A student’s first name, age, county of residence and artist statement may appear alongside their artwork.

All entries must be submitted online by midnight on 31 January 2027. The deadline is final, so we recommend submitting entries well in advance to allow time for completing forms, obtaining permissions and uploading images.

Yes. Teachers can use the “This Is Us!” theme as a starting point for classroom discussion and creative activities. Students are free to interpret the theme in whatever way they like, and the final artwork should reflect their own ideas and creativity. Please see the teacher pack for further information.

Unfortunately, the team cannot provide individual feedback on entries before submission. We encourage teachers to use the competition guidelines to check that each artwork meets the eligibility and submission requirements.

If you have read the information on the website and still have a question, please contact the RTÉ This Is Art! team at hello@thisisart.ie. We’ll do our best to help as quickly as possible.

This year's competition is open to young people, aged 18 years of age or younger (on 31st January 2027) of all abilities and backgrounds living in any of the 32 counties on the island of Ireland.

Unfortunately due to the volume of entries we get, our team cannot provide feedback for every individual submission. For some highly commended artworks, our jury panel may provide comments which we will share with artists along with their Certificate of Commendation.

No, it must be something you made in the last year for it to be considered in the competition.

Ready to show off your artistic skills and enter the competition? Here's what to do:
– Create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece
– Snap or Scan a high-resolution digital image of your work using a scanner, smart phone or digital camera
– Upload your images along with your completed entry form to rte.ie/thisisart/submit and upload your images

You may submit as many different artworks as you like but you’ll need to upload a separate entry form for each entry.

Your artwork will be available for all to see here on our website. Your Local Authority may also decide to exhibit your submission as part of their annual art programmes, including Cruinniú na nÓg celebrations.

Absolutely. You may enter again this year with a new and original piece of art that has been made within the last year.

– Keep your image files under 7MB for easy uploading.
– We accept both JPG and PNG formats.
– Make sure your artwork is original and all yours - no copying allowed!
– Show respect to others by asking permission before using someone's image in your artwork.
– Let's keep it classy - steer clear of defamatory, obscene, explicit, or hateful content, or anything that could be considered threatening.
– We want to make sure everyone can enjoy the digital gallery, so submissions will be moderated to ensure the gallery is appropriate for all ages.
– In other words, only submit what you'd feel comfortable sharing in school - no graphic, violent, adult, or explicit content, please!
– Get creative! Use any materials you'd like for your artwork.
– For now, we cannot accept moving image artworks like animation, film, video or GIFs. However if you are an artist who works with the moving image you can still choose to submit a photograph, still images, frame grab or character design. Please use your artist's statement to explain the work that your chosen image represents.
– If you’re submitting a performance art piece, make sure the essence of it can be captured in a photo. Just don't forget to give us all the details in your artist statement.
– Remember to submit two images per entry - one of your artwork and one with you holding it. This second image is for verification purposes only, and only the artwork image will be displayed in the digital gallery.

A prize fund of more that €10,000 will be awarded across the different categories for materials, further education and art-related vouchers.

Submissions for the competition open from Tuesday 22nd September 2026.

As your submissions come in, they'll be checked over by our moderators and added to the digital gallery.

Keep checking back in – the digital gallery will be updated daily with new works of art.

Your first name, age, and county of residence will be posted online alongside your artwork and artist statement.

In February 2027, either you (if you're over 18) or your parent / guardian will get a call from our team. Your artwork will be showcased prominently on our website homepage.

All original artwork is eligible for submission, as long as it has not been created using templates, colour-by-numbers, Artificial Intelligence generation tools, or other similar techniques. Avoid creating artwork of real people who you haven't recieved their explicit permission to create and avoid making anything that resembles an existing IP. (Characters, superheros, popstars) We encourage young artists to experiment with different mediums and formats, and to express their creativity in their own unique way. So whether you prefer to work with pencils, paint, pixels, paper or plastic or anything in between, we welcome your submissions and can't wait to see the amazing artwork you create!

Unfortunately not. The artwork you submit to RTÉ This Is Art! must be unique and never submitted to any competition in the past.

Yes, all artists maintain ownership of their artwork. However, by submitting to the competition, you grant permission to RTÉ This is Art!, RTÉ, The Creative Ireland Programme, Shared Island Initiative and selected Local Authorities, as well as any third-party service providers, to use the artwork to promote the art, the competition, and to feature it on social media and in local or national exhibitions. It's important to note that your artwork may be edited or cropped to improve image quality.

If you (or an adult) have read through everything on our website and are still unclear about something please send us an email here: hello@thisisart.ie.
We’ll try our best to get back to you as quickly as possible.

All winning entries will be featured on the RTÉ This is Art! Website and social media channels.

All entries must be submitted online via RTÉ THIS IS ART! website by the closing date, midnight 31st January 2027. This date is final. If your entry is received after this date it will not be submitted to the competition. Allow plenty of time to upload your entry.

The judging process will take place after the closing date, during the month of February 2027. Our judging panel will select the category winners and commendations from this shortlist. This year, we have an amazing panel of jurors for RTÉ This is Art! 2026 They're a group of industry professionals, and super-talented creatives. Find Out More Here

Please see our Privacy Notice for information about how your data is used, shared and retained.

The entry form will be available on the website from September 22nd 2026.

Please see our Terms & Conditions for information about how to withdraw permission.