John Moores Painting Prize

News:  Call for entries announced for John Moores 2014

Call for entries will open on 22 July 2013 and will close on 25 October 2013.

Online registration will be available on our website from 22 July 2013.

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The prize

All UK-based artists who work with paint are invited to submit work to be considered for the John Moores Painting Prize 2014 and be in with the chance of winning the £25,000 first prize or one of the four £2,000 runner up prizes. 

The exhibition

In an exciting shift from previous years, the final exhibition, which forms a major strand of the Liverpool Biennial, will open as a summer show on 5 July 2014, with the winners announced in September 2014.

The jury

The works are selected anonymously from an open submission by an independent jury (to be announced shortly). 

About the John Moores Painting Prize

First held in 1957, the John Moores Painting Prize is the UK's best-known painting competition and is named after Sir John Moores (1896 - 1993), the founder of the prize. The competition culminates in an exhibition held at the Walker Art Gallery every two years, which forms a key strand of the Liverpool Biennial.

The John Moores exhibition is held in partnership with the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust, and although the appearance of each exhibition changes, the principles remain constant: to support artists and to bring to Liverpool the best contemporary painting from across the UK.

John Moores Painting Prize China launched in August 2010. Applications were received from across China and 28 artists were selected for the inaugural exhibition. Find out more about the John Moores Painting Prize China here|.

Quotes about the prize

"The John Moores is one of the most prestigious art competitions in the UK and winning the Junior Prize in 1961 is one of the achievements of which I am most proud." 
- Sir Peter Blake, artist.

"It was exhilarating to discover, in the course of viewing so much of the work submitted for this year's John Moores (2012) competition, that in Britain the art of painting is alive and well and bursting with ideas." 
- Alan Yentob, BBC.

"...elegant, coherent and some really impressive work."
- Tim Marlow, Sky Arts.

"[The John Moores Painting Prize is] the Oscar of the British painting world"
- Sir Norman Rosenthal, curator and former exhibitions secretary at the Royal Academy.

"...catch up with innovative developments in a traditional medium"
- Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times.