Leitrim's young artists invited to enter RTÉ competition with €10,000 prize fund

The all-island competition, supported by Creative Ireland in partnership with the Government's Shared Island Initiative, is now open to young artists aged 18 and under. Launched at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, this year's competition invites participants to explore the theme This Is Us!, celebrating identity, relationships, community and the places people call home.

Young artists can submit work in a wide range of formats, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fashion, digital art and creations made from recycled or upcycled materials. There are four individual age categories — seven and under, eight to 11, 12 to 15 and 16 to 18 — alongside a separate category for group entries.

A total prize fund of €10,000 will provide awards and bursaries to winners across the five categories. Organisers say the competition aims to give children and teenagers of all artistic abilities an opportunity to express themselves while celebrating the creativity of young people throughout Ireland.

Tania Banotti, Director of Creative Ireland, said the initiative provides an important platform for encouraging artistic expression. "This is Art! is a fantastic online art competition, and online gallery with a permanently viewable public archive of all past entries, that promotes artistic practice among young people and encourages and supports creativity, originality and self-expression," she said.

"We're incredibly excited to see what this year's young artists create in response to 'This Is Us!'" This year's judging panel includes internationally recognised Cork-born comic book artist Will Sliney, who has worked on Marvel's Spider-Man and Star Wars, alongside Dublin-based illustrator and muralist Holly Pereira, artist and educator Barbara Knežević and Ulster Museum curator Charlotte McReynolds.

Mr Sliney encouraged young people to keep practising their artistic skills, regardless of their experience. "I'm lucky enough to have been able to work on some of my own dream art jobs, like Spider-Man and Star Wars. I got these jobs not through talent, but by practice," he said.

"That's why I love anything that encourages kids to create, in whatever medium they enjoy the most." RTÉ's Head of Children's and Young People's Content, Suzanne Kelly, said the competition continues to showcase the extraordinary imagination of young people across the island.

"Every year, we're blown away by the creativity of young people across the island, and it's a real privilege to give them a platform to share their art, ideas and perspective with us," she said. "This year's theme, This Is Us!, is all about celebrating what makes each of us unique, and we can't wait to see how young artists interpret it."

Illustrator Holly Pereira also encouraged children not to underestimate their creative ideas. "I think it's important to let children know that no matter how small their idea is, it can turn into something big creatively," she said.

The competition is free to enter, with participants asked to create their artwork, photograph it and upload their submission through the official website. Young artists, schools and creative groups across Leitrim are encouraged to participate.

Entries are now open at www.rte.ie/thisisart, where further information and competition guidelines are available.