Artists: Maser, Leah Hewson & Aideen Barry join IMMA's Sheena Barrett & Glucksman's Tadhg Crowley to choose this year's most imaginative entries
RT 's This is Art!' competition supported by Creative Ireland and the Shared Island Initiative, opens today. Young people aged 18 and under are eligible to enter and let their imaginations go wild exploring a world of creativity. This all-island competition is open across five categories and to all abilities (Age 7 and under, Age 8 to 11, Age 12 to 15, Age 16 to 18 and the Group category). This is Art!' accepts submissions in any and all forms, from paintings, drawings and sculptures to photography, digital art or even creating something using found or upcycled materials. Entries must be photographed and submitted digitally. Create, snap and upload on rte.ie/thisisart by midnight Sunday, November 3rd. Entries are free and further information on how to enter is available on rte.ie/thisisart.
This year some of Ireland's most exciting galleries, artists and creatives jumped at the chance to celebrate the incredible talent of young people across the island of Ireland. Judges include some of Ireland's leading artists: graffiti and street artist Maser, contemporary abstract artist Leah Hewson and groundbreaking visual artist Aideen Barry. These exciting names in Irish art will team up with stalwarts in the art community; Tagdh Crowley, Senior Curator in The Glucksman Cork and Sheena Barrett, Head of Research and Learning, at IMMA the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The five judges will be immersed in the creativity of young people from all over Ireland and have the opportunity to award some of the most imaginative artworks. Last year over 3,000 entries were made.
This is Art!' supports the creativity, originality and self-expression of young people. A prize fund of 10,000 will provide awards and bursaries for winners across the five categories. For 2024, Maser has been commissioned to design and create this year's category winner trophies, making a bespoke piece of art for winners to treasure forever. The bursaries will empower young artists to develop their talent with additional education and training. Beyond the prizes, more than one hundred shortlisted entries will receive personal commendations and feedback from the judges on their work.
This is Art! is much more than an art competition, it's a celebration of the artistic expression of young people. Its purpose is to actively foster creativity in the next generation and to showcase their work in an online gallery. The theme for this year's competition is; This is Imagination! It offers a blank canvas for budding creatives and young artists of all abilities to create whatever they can imagine. This year's theme encourages entrants to have fun exploring the limitless realms of their creativity, allowing their imagination to take the lead. Young creators will be empowered to express themselves through whatever medium of art they prefer.
Speaking on the launch of This is Art!':
Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media of Ireland said: Since it was first launched, the enthusiasm for This is Art has been wonderful to witness. Not only have the young people of Ireland responded in their thousands to this great initiative but they have astounded us with their talent and sense of creative adventure. The level of engagement and inventiveness was remarkable and I am delighted that my department is able to continue to support this wonderful competition. I want to wish all young artists the very best of luck; be brave, be bold and have fun!
Director-General of RT , Kevin Bakhurst said: Our This is Art! competition celebrates creativity among young people across this island and has been an important part of RT 's support of our youngest artists in recent years. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the wonderful young artists who featured in last year's exhibition and to hear first-hand how much they enjoyed participating in This is Art! and the platform it gave them. RT is proud once again to partner with Creative Ireland in this celebration of young artists of all abilities all over the island. If last year is anything to go by, we can look forward to seeing some impressive artistic creations from all the young artists out there. Good luck to you all.
RT 's Suzanne Kelly, Head of Children's and Young People's Content: Launching This Is Art! is one of my proudest achievements since I took up my role as Head of Children's & Young People's Content here in RT . Every year I am blown away by the freedom of expression and inspiring creativity that exists here on the island of Ireland. To see a year through the eyes of the kids and young people who live here is really inspiring and thought provoking. I can't wait to see what you all come up with this year. Let your imaginations go wild!
Artist Maser, who takes a spot on the judging panel this year and is also designing the awards for each category winner, said: I'm delighted to be a judge for This is Art!. Encouraging kids to get creative and express themselves is something that means a lot to me. Having art as an outlet was hugely important to me growing up and I love encouraging young people to explore their imagination and creativity. I can't wait to see what this year's entries show us. Competitions like this really encourage young artists to develop and find themselves. If you have something to share enter on rte.ie/this is art.
If you or someone you know is a budding young artist that could bring to life the theme of This is Imagination! invite them to get involved and upload their entry for free on rte.ie/thisisart The competition closes on midnight Sunday, November 3rd. Submitte
More from RTE
24/07/2026
Kerry and Mayo fans Up For The Match as excitement builds in Croke Park on the e...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced Centra as the official food partner once again of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player later this year.
Ce...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial today announced Honda as sponsor of Today with David McCullagh RT Radio 1, weekdays 9am 11am.
Broadcasting directly after Morning Ireland in ...
23/07/2026
RT News is pleased to announce Barry Gallagher has been assigned as the new journalist covering news from Cork, Kerry and the wider Southern region
Working al...
22/07/2026
RT REPORTS NET SURPLUS OF 22.5 MILLION IN 2025...
22/07/2026
In the Opinion of the Censor airs Monday 27 July at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In the Opinion of the Censor looks at how films for theatrical release wer...
21/07/2026
160 hours of Irish storytelling for 2026
KIN and The Walsh Sisters return
RT has today unveiled its most ambitious drama slate ever, with a record-breakin...
20/07/2026
FIFA World Cup Final sets new RT Player record as the most-streamed single event in the platform's history
Over 1 million viewers watched live on RT 2 as ...
17/07/2026
New and returning series, live festival broadcasts, powerful documentaries and major sporting moments headline RT Radio 1's summer schedule
RT Radio 1 is...
17/07/2026
Up For The Match - Live From Croke Park this Saturday at 8pm on RT One and RT ...
17/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced DiscoverIreland.ie, as sponsor of The Traitor...
16/07/2026
Together the semi-finals had a combined reach of 1.98 million unique individuals...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
13/07/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Mag Raollaigh as the new Managing Editor of Nuacht, the Irish Language News and Current Affairs service a...
10/07/2026
New RT documentary explores Irish-led efforts to build bridges in divided Cyprus
More than a Game: From D1 to Pyla airs Monday 13 July
More Than a Game: Fro...
08/07/2026
Film follows the courageous fight for justice by survivors of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries & Mother and Baby Homes
TESTIMONY airs Wednesday 22 July at 9...
07/07/2026
To Whom It Concerns RT today confirmed that Patrick Kielty is to extend his contract as host of The Late Late Show.
Last season, the world's longest-runn...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
01/07/2026
9.2 million streams on RT Player between 11 and 28 June
Reach of 2.9 million viewers during Group stages of FIFA World Cup on RT 2
23 million video views acr...
29/06/2026
RT today announced that Ger Gilroy will join the RT Podcasts team to present a daily sports podcast. Launching later this year, the new show will set the spor...
29/06/2026
RT Commercial announced OUTsurance as sponsor of the Oliver Callan show on RT Radio 1 from Wednesday 1 July.
Oliver Callan doubles the fun, delivering two ...
26/06/2026
A fresh look at how the Irish helped shape the foundations of the United States
...
25/06/2026
Launching today (Thursday 25 June), new RT podcast Ramble with Joe McGucken is a series of curiosity-driven conversations where actor, writer and comedian Joe ...
24/06/2026
From Cork to Limerick to Earagail:
RT is supporting 21 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this July
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to spotlight...
23/06/2026
The RT Toy Show Appeal has raised over 31 million since its inception in 2020 ...
17/06/2026
The RT Concert Orchestra will bring the timeless music of The Beach Boys to aud...
12/06/2026
Meet The Grumpy Onion Ireland's newest online sensation, all he wants is to ...
12/06/2026
RT stays Up All Night with brand new daily 2026 FIFA World Cup Vodcast
Adding to the fun around 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, RT has launched a brand new d...
11/06/2026
Summer solstice shows from C il House and Late Date from 9pm on Saturday 20 Jun...
09/06/2026
These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora
This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...
08/06/2026
Irish YouTube star DavidMC joins Aisling O'Reilly to tackle all things socce...
05/06/2026
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards to take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026, Vicar Street, Dublin
Moya Brennan, D nal Lunny, Mary Black and Christy Moore among previou...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
03/06/2026
RT confirms multi-channel and free to air coverage of the expanded tournament with enhanced digital features and the return of Total Football for young fans
S...
03/06/2026
RT has today announced Heineken 0.0 as the broadcast sponsor of their FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage.
The sponsorship, brokered by Dentsu, will see Heineken 0....
02/06/2026
June sees Ireland's cultural calendar in full bloom, as RT Supporting the Arts showcases a vibrant and wide-ranging programme spanning music, theatre, visu...
02/06/2026
After The Traitors Ireland launched in 2025, Irish audiences proved to have a taste for the global hit reality show. This Bank Holiday Monday fans can indulge e...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
28/05/2026
RT presents Wild Conamara, a two-part natural history documentary that brings a...
25/05/2026
The RT Concert Orchestra will celebrate the centenary of Hollywood icon Marilyn...
22/05/2026
Catch the latest in Irish music live from venues such as Whelan's, R is n Du...
21/05/2026
Dublin DJ RKM333 wins 2FM competition and a coveted slot at this year's Forbidden Fruit Festival
2FM's search for the next big Irish DJ concluded this ...
20/05/2026
Mayo's Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy from Galway have reached the final of RT Today's TV Home Cook competition.
Both contestants will cook again live...
20/05/2026
RT IN FULL BLOOM AT BORD BIA BLOOM 2026 WITH LIVE BROADCASTS, MUSIC, CHAT AND M...
15/05/2026
Further to RT 's statement released yesterday and in the interest of full transparency, with the full permission of Derek Mooney, we are now publishing the ...
14/05/2026
RT is today publishing the earnings of its top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2025, ahead of the publication of RT 's Annual Report 2025 later this year...
Artists: Maser, Leah Hewson & Aideen Barry join IMMA's Sheena Barrett & Glucksman's Tadhg Crowley to choose this year's most imaginative entries 
