National Galleries Scotland has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Scottish Portrait Awards, featuring over 180 artists whose works have never been publicly shown.
The selected works will go on display alongside the preexisting collection of art in The National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait from 18 November.
A total of 187 works were chosen from nearly 2,500 entries across three categories including Fine Art, Photography and the free to enter, Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards.
These include nine nominations for the Young Fine Artist Award and nine nominations for the Young Photographer Award.
Now in its ninth year the National Galleries of Scotland has partnered with the Scottish Arts Trust for the first time to make the award ceremony “bigger than ever”.
Robyn Jenkins, an 18-year-old animation student at Edinburgh College of Art and one of the youngest artists to be selected, said: “To walk into the Great Hall and know my work is hanging in the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an absolute dream. After visiting the galleries so many times, it feels surreal to have my work share the space of the incredible art I’ve admired for so long.”
The exhibition will feature works from paintings of family members, photographs of athletes, moments of celebration, fashion portraits and LGBTQ+ communities.
On top of the award, each shortlisted artist will have the opportunity to win £5,000 and a commission from the National Galleries of Scotland to make a portrait for Scotland’s national collection.
Open to anyone over 16 years, born, living or studying in Scotland, regardless of experience, the Scottish Portrait Awards will for the first time feature animated portraits in the exhibition.
The prize-winners will be announced on the opening week of the exhibition in November during the awards events before opening to the public from 18 November 2026 – 11 April 2027.
From over 600 works submitted, 64 portraits have been shortlisted by the judging panel for the fire art awards, while 63 pictures from more than 800 entries submitted for the awards in photography.
The awards also encouraged everyone across Scotland, aged over 16 years, to send photos taken on a phone to its free to enter competition. The 60 works shortlisted for the Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards, will go on display on a screen in the gallery.
Anne Lyden, Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Portraiture shows us what it is to be human – to connect and foster empathetic relationships. This year’s entries embody this and more, capturing life in Scotland in the most beautiful way.
“It has been inspiring and moving to experience the work of artists who have previously entered and to see how participating has furthered their practice.
“The judges were enthralled by the range of submissions and captivated by the artists skill, storytelling and personal statements. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share this with our visitors in November and hope everyone can join us in celebrating the incredible artistic talent Scotland has to offer.”
Scottish Portrait Awards in Fine Art 2026 Shortlist:
- Ade Adesina, Griot
- Imogen Alabaster, Busy Keeps The Pain Away
- Verity Amelia, Girlhood
- Sheila Anderson-Hardy, Painter with her Muses (self-portrait)
- Kyle Blain, Spider-Boy
- Niamh Britton, My Sea of Love
- Diana Campbell, Jacq
- Mario Cervantes Garrido, Reading
- Owen Claxton, Two Dancers
- Allan Davies, Witnesses to the past, wanderers in the present
- K Pittman Duncan, Coming Out of the Cold
- Matt Farr, Self-portrait, December 25
- Daniel Fooks, The Last of the Glasgow Hard Men
- Indigo Gray, Nuuskamuikkunen
- Halla Groves-Raines, Dieny and Ophé, mother and son
- Halla Groves-Raines, Georgia age 49, mother and farm chef
- Steven Higginson, The Rainbow Couple of La Linea
- Alex Holt, Tommy
- Melissa Hugo, Grace on Calton Hill
- Craig Jefferson, Douglas
- Robyn Jenkins, Grandon
- Lotte Johnson, Only one of us was real and that was me
- Milda June, I know you
- Rachit Khandelwal, Daydream
- Hugh Kirkwood, The Frozen North
- James Klinge, Portrait of Kriss Kyle
- Johnny Laidlaw, Johnny with Red Jumper, Grey Jumper and Purple Jumper
- M J Lawless, James G. Lawless in Navajo jewellery
- Lizzie Little, Portrait of Josh
- Marlene Lochhead, Manchild
- Niall MacArthur, Joanna
- Iain MacDonald, Phoebe
- Kirstin Mackinnon, Self-care
- Summer Mapplebeck, Yurkaline and Gwyn
- Norman Mathieson, Shoo Shoo Play – Self-portrait
- Nicola McBride, The Menopause
- Donna McGlynn, Night Owl
- Alan McGowan, Pete Haley
- Lisa McIntyre, Megan
- Maggie Milne, A tribute: Portrait of Bob McGilvray
- Martin Moore, Ken MacLennan Sketching at The Hermitage
- Billie Motiang, Materialist
- Mark Mulholland, Constant Gardener
- Daniel Murray, Mum in the Afternoon Light
- Alexandra Nikas, Chrissy Rae
- Obinna Okafor, Be yourself by Dylan
- Elaine Margaret O’Neill, Early Morning, Georgia and Coco
- Kirsty Penny, Peach Melba
- Elise Prentice, The Dookeepers
- Allan Ramsay, Kenspeckle – a portrait of Michael Wildman
- Ola Rek, Animus at the Fountain
- Sally Rickett, Same But Different
- Keith Robinson, Astrid and the Crisp
- Zuzanna Salamon, Tangled hair
- Ali Scott, ‘I wasn’t snoring!’
- Wilma Smith, Let Me Love You Again
- Martin Stevenson, Amy Frost
- Fiona Swapp, Absentia
- Josh Thomson, Saturday Morning
- Kyla Tomlinson, Ready To Start
- Wilma van der Meyden, Autumn Leaves
- Graeme Wilcox, The Living Statue
- Kenneth Blues Wilson, Self-portrait. Cancer Ward 1
- Michael Youds, Two Upholsterers
Scottish Portrait Awards in Photography 2026 Shortlist:
- Kirsty Anderson, Solstice Brothers
- Kirsty Anderson, The Icy
- Andrew Ast, Mae
- Nick Blandford, Earth Wore Her Once
- David Boni, Mondo Love 1
- Katy Bridgestock, Ademola Odedina, Blackpool
- Jude Bytheway, Beth, After the Race
- Emanuele Centi, The Etruscan Jewel Maker
- Timothy Chan, Caring for Dad
- Simona Ciocarlan, Harpreet and Devan
- Saskia Coulson (Coulson & Tennant), So It Is – Edward (aged 12)
- Taylor Cowe, Fran, Tillicoultry
- Simon Crofts, Larissa, Kherson, Ukraine
- Nina Davidson, Abricot
- Kieran Dodds, Henry Davis and Henry Davis II, Alabama
- Ellie Duncan, Dragged
- Stuart Edwards, David, Barras Market
- Ritchie Elder, Faith
- Margaret Ferguson, Fire in Ice
- Amy Fisher, Angus Dancing
- Lauren Forde, Bernard MacLaverty
- Niamh Gaston, Market Child, The Barras
- David Gillanders, Bare Knuckle Boxers: Danny “The Bastard” Christie
- Mark Anthony Gillies, The Sykes Family
- David Murray Greer, Innes
- Ben Grieve, Miss Eyeris Mirage
- Mike Guest, Salt & Sawdust
- Peter Holliday, Portrait of a Military Conscript
- Andrew Johnston, KRAVV
- Mert Kece, Untitled
- Louise Kendal, Portrait of Bel in Leith
- Christina Kernohan, Alba and Dino with Covid, Girona
- Sylwia Kowalczyk, Jennifer Gray
- Wojtek Kutyla, Laura Carreira
- Chris Leslie, Concrete Dreams – Cumbernauld
- Lauren MacDonald, The Shepherdess
- Craig MacLure, Domestic Interior
- Gavin Macqueen, One Hundred And A Day
- Tracy Mcilhatton, Motherhood Unvarnished
- Elena Mendoza, Huda Abdulgader (Portraits of Identity)
- Elina Mer, Capturing 25 years
- Fraser Morton, Guardians: We Are Nature — Cambodia
- Shaun Murawski, Jack Lowden & Michael Pedersen
- Marisa Privitera Murdoch, Strength
- Donna Murray, Harry & Woody
- Robbie Murrie, Jonah and Magnus
- James Nelson, John Greenland at Charleston
- Rae Phillips-Smith, Cooking
- Connie Preston, A Moment
- Helen Pugh, The Nursery
- James Robertson, El Stumpy
- Antonio Ross, Portrait of My Father
- Franzis Sanchez, Looking at Lighting
- Harriet Selka, Finlay and George
- Naya Steevens, OBSCURITY
- Muir Vidler, Calum, Glasgow’s Grand Ole Opry
- Vicky Viola, The Magician
- Marilena Vlachopoulou, Front row at the Siouxsie show
- Emma Chrissie Wallace, More than a Game; In the Blood.
- Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, Euan Ross, the Reluctant Model
- Graham Williams, Andrew Kinghorn in his Studio, November 2024
- Graham Williams, “Reflector” – A portrait of Jamie Johnstone, October 2024
- Alan Wyllie, In Every Dream Home A Teacake (Self-portrait)
Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards 2026 Shortlist:
- Rebecca Adams, Through the Branches
- Amy Addison, My Dad
- Gemma Armit, Out of This World May the 4th Scottish Wedding at Dynamic Earth
- Mathilda Bebitova, Me to Me
- Angela Brattesani, Reunited again
- Luisa Brown, Quiet in the Quair
- Kevin Byrne, The Boys
- Sandy Carson, Doggie bag
- Benedict Cave, Gabriel & Mac at Kilchattan Bay
- Valeriia Chernikova, Soft Landing
- Niamh Coady, Backstage At The Dance Show
- Nicola Cobain, A life written in light
- Menh Cooc, Albinism Is Beautiful
- Heather Cumming, Bellissimo Ben
- Juliet Dean, Campouflage
- Ben Farmer, Wish upon a rainbow
- Eleanor Fitzsimmons, Cody and IKEA sharks
- Ez Fordyce, Everything is going to be alright
- Emma Gillanders, Cold Water, Warm Smile
- Rowan Gillespie, Boy with a red hood
- Sharon Gilmore, Reawakening
- Catherine Hambly, Inner Reflection
- Beth Holmes, Selfie with cows
- Julie Howden, Seeing The Light of Day
- Joad Hughes, Chasing Waves
- Anneleen Lindsay, Spring in the Japanese Garden
- M. F. Lindsey, Guffaw
- Neil Mackinnon, Marianne at Prestwick Beach
- Susan Mains, Dad’s Dinner
- Taransay Majury, Halloween Huff
- Jennifer McBride, Cone
- Margot McCuaig, The twins of the cross
- Alia Mobarik, Transient Bloom
- Gillian Morton, Finn
- Yuliia Movchan, Lovely Scottish view and weather
- Gary Muldoon, Determined Oliver
- Tatjana Muliarenko, Shadow
- Jane Murray, Tender Moments at the Breakfast Table
- Ewelina Nolbert, Lara the explorer
- Emma Orphant, Pipes, drums & fire
- Welshie Owl, Be proud and raise your head
- Tracy Pearce, More than just a game
- Lorraine Poole, My Sister and the Bacon Butty
- Lorraine Poole, Celebration
- George Rae, Adam in the studio
- Elena Reid, Hogmanay Fun
- Elena Reid, Protest at Nairn Beach
- Lauren Robb, RailwayBoy
- Eilidh Robertson, On Top of the World
- Liz Rodger, Lizzie Loves Lighthouses
- Gemma L. Rosa, Old Seadog
- Timothy Ross, Jocelyn
- Kim Simpson, Backstage at King Tuts
- Wilma Smith, Appreciation Day
- Eleanor Stewart, Garden Rose
- Simona Streber, Emanuele in the yellow kitchen
- Dami Taiwo, Rings of Diamonds
- Katherine Tierney, Halloween
- Vicky Viola, The Magician’s Assistant
- Bethany Watson, Downpour
