Juried Exhibitions & Competitions / Verified 2 September 2026
The RDS Visual Art Awards offers a free submission for final-year and recent BA/MA visual arts graduates from Irish art colleges and eligible overseas students. The prize fund totals approximately EUR30,000, including the Taylor Art Award, with selected work displayed in a group exhibition at the RDS in Dublin.
Every fact, with its receipt
What the organizer actually says
Cost to apply. Free to apply
“none (page mentions no fee)”✓ Checked on the organizer’s site
What you get. ~EUR30,000 prize fund incl. the Taylor Art Award; group exhibition at the RDS
“Prize fund of over €40,000 shared among winners; small fee paid to each exhibiting artist to cover transport, time and installation costs; no commission charged on work sold during exhibition; insurance provided for all work.”✓ Checked on the organizer’s site
How long. Exhibition runs 5 November - 17 December 2026 (6 November 2026 – 23 January 2027 at Gallery@RDS per second mention)
Who can apply. Final year BA and MA visual arts students from specified Irish art colleges (ATU Galway, ATU Sligo, Belfast School of Art Ulster University, Burren College of Art, Griffith College Dublin, IADT Dún Laoghaire, MTU Crawford School of Art, NCA
“Final year BA and MA visual arts students from specified Irish art colleges”✓ Checked on the organizer’s site
How they choose. Juried
“Five-judge panel: two RDS nominees (Chair and Exhibition Curator), one each from National Gallery of Ireland, Royal Hibernian Academy, and Irish Museum of Modern Art. College curators longlist artists who then apply; judges select for exhibition. Judging criteria: quality of work, understanding of c”✓ Checked on the organizer’s site
Members only
Whether this is worth your entry fee, your shipping, and the weeks it takes to put an application together depends on work only you have…
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