This year's theme is
This is Us!
RTÉ This is Art! gives students an easy, creative way to explore people, relationships and belonging through art, with no special skills or equipment needed. A simple activity that can fit naturally into the classroom, while giving every kid the freedom to explore their own ideas and perspective. With €10,000+ in prizes, there's even more to celebrate. Explore the resources below and bring This Is Us! into your classroom, club or group!
Activity plan
Teacher's FAQs
Yes. Teachers can support students with the submission process and may submit entries on their behalf. However, each artwork must be submitted as an individual entry and the student’s parent/guardian must provide any required permissions and consents.
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.