25/09/26
Creative Ireland, RTÉ and the Government’s Shared Island Initiative are inviting children and young people across the island of Ireland to get creative as the sixth RTÉ This Is Art! competition launches with the theme ‘This Is Us!’.
The 2026 RTÉ This Is Art! competition has officially launched, inviting young people aged 0–18 from across the island of Ireland to express their creativity and share their unique perspectives through art.
Supported by Creative Ireland in partnership with the Government’s Shared Island Initiative, the competition was launched at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), bringing together this year’s judges, representatives from RTÉ and Creative Ireland, and previous This Is Art! winners.
This year’s theme, ‘This Is Us!’, invites young artists to explore ideas of people, relationships and belonging, from the people we love and the places we call home to the experiences and moments we share.
Young people of all abilities are encouraged to interpret the theme in whatever way inspires them and through whatever creative medium they choose. Entries can include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital art, fashion, or work made using found and upcycled materials.
The competition includes four individual age categories – Age 7 and under, Age 8–11, Age 12–15 and Age 16–18 – as well as a category for group entries. A €10,000 prize fund will provide awards and bursaries for winners across the five categories.
Above: **Repro Free: 22/09/2026 Young creativity takes centre stage as RTÉ This Is Art! 2026 launches at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Pictured young artists, Uishe Bambury, age 12, from Leixlip, Kildare (RTÉ This is Art! 2024 Winner) and Art enthusiast, Joanna Ujadughele, age 10, from Carlow Town. Picture Andres Poveda
Speaking at the launch, Tania Banotti, Director of Creative Ireland, said:
“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.
“In partnership with the Shared Island Initiative and RTÉ, this competition is open to all to share their perspectives and see their creativity celebrated on an all-island stage. We’re incredibly excited to see what this year’s young artists create in response to ‘This Is Us!’.”
To mark the launch at IMMA, ceramic artist and creative Taz Kelleher hosted a special art class exploring the new theme. The session encouraged young artists to experiment, create and develop their own interpretation of what ‘This Is Us!’ means to them.
Above: **Repro Free: 22/09/2026 Young creativity takes centre stage as RTÉ This Is Art! 2026 launches at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Pictured young artists, Robyn Summerbell, age 15, from Wicklow (RTÉ This is Art! 2025 Winner), Uishe Bambury, age 12, from Leixlip, Kildare (RTÉ This is Art! 2024 Winner) and Roslyn Kavanagh, age 17, from Rathfarnham (RTÉ This is Art! 2025 Winner). Picture Andres Poveda
Four champions of youth creativity from across the island of Ireland and beyond will make up this year’s judging panel.
Cork-born comic book artist and TV presenter Will Sliney, Singaporean-Irish illustrator and muralist Holly Pereira, Australian-born artist and educator Barbara Knežević, and Charlotte McReynolds, Curator at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, will bring perspectives spanning art, illustration, television, education and museums to the judging process.
Entry to RTÉ This Is Art! is free and open to young people aged 0–18 across the island of Ireland.
To take part, young artists simply need to create their artwork, take a photograph of it and upload their entry at rte.ie/thisisart.
Submissions are now open. Visit rte.ie/thisisart for full competition details and information on how to enter.
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