The RP Drawing Prize 2026 Exhibition: Revealing the Human

The RP Drawing Prize: Revealing the Human, brought to you by The Royal Society of Portrait Painters, returns for its second year.

18 September – 18 October 2026

Open daily: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Event summary

The University Art Gallery welcomes back a major international exhibition featuring 112 portrait drawings from artists around the world.

Following the success of last year’s exhibition, our Art Gallery is once again hosting an international competition celebrating the art of portrait drawing, organised by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.

Launched in 2025 with the support of His Majesty The King, the competition brings together portrait drawings from artists around the world.

The University Art Gallery was honoured to host the selected works and the prize-giving last year, and we’re delighted to welcome the exhibition back to Hull for a second year.

This year’s exhibition is bigger still, featuring 112 drawings selected from entries from 71 countries. Alongside the UK and USA, entries have come from across Europe, Canada, South America and Africa, as well as Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The international character of the competition reflects the enduring appeal of portrait drawing – bringing together different artistic styles, approaches and perspectives from across the world in one exhibition.

Selecting the portraits

The 112 works on display have been selected by a panel of three judges: Anthony Connolly, President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters; Caragh Savage, an internationally established artist and teacher specialising in drawing and John Bernasconi, Director of the University of Hull Art Gallery.

The exhibition will also feature the award-winning works, with prizes presented at the exhibition’s Private View on Thursday 17 September.

Visit the exhibition

The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 18 September to Sunday 18 October, giving visitors the chance to see an extraordinary range of contemporary portrait drawing from around the world.

Opening hours: 10am - 5pm daily

The exhibition catalogue, featuring all 112 exhibited works, will also be available.