About the Competition

The Young Painter Prize (YPP) is celebrating 17 Years of Emerging Baltic Art and returns in 2025 reaffirming its status as the most prominent art competition for young artists in the Baltic states. Since its founding in 2009, YPP has served as a vital platform for discovering and promoting the most promising painters from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and since 2022, it has also welcomed young Ukrainian artists in solidarity with Ukraine’s ongoing fight for freedom.

At its core, the YPP competition aims to present a vibrant and diverse Baltic identity to the global cultural scene. It encourages young artists, aged 18 to 33, to explore their creative roots while engaging in critical dialogue with contemporary art movements. The competition fosters meaningful exchange within the region and provides opportunities for artists to grow professionally through visibility, recognition, and community engagement.

This year, YPP reached an exciting new milestone – for the first time, the finalists’ exhibition will be held across all three Baltic countries. The main exhibition opens at the Latvian Academy of Arts Gallery in Riga (Latvia), followed by satellite showcases at Pragiedruliai, the exhibition branch of the Stasys Museum (Lithuania) and Tartu Art House (Kunstimaja) in Estonia. This expanded reach not only strengthens regional ties but also provides broader access for audiences, collectors, and art professionals.

A distinguished panel of five international art experts will evaluate the submitted works and select 20 finalists, whose art will form the centerpiece of the 2025 exhibition cycle. Beyond the gallery walls, the YPP team will also facilitate artist talks, curatorial tours, and professional networking events to nurture deeper engagement between artists and the global art community.

As a non-profit initiative, the Young Painter Prize (YPP) is made possible through the efforts of dedicated organizers, ambassadors, and partners—including long-term patrons and sponsors from both the private and public sectors. These collaborations ensure YPP’s long-term impact and sustainability, while empowering the next generation of Baltic artists.

Whether you are an emerging painter, an art lover, or a cultural institution, YPP 2025 invites you to take part in shaping the future of Baltic art.

The 17th Young Painter Prize begins!

The Young Painter Prize (YPP) is thrilled to announce the official opening of its 17th annual competition.

Eligible applicants must be aged 18 to 33 and working in traditional painting techniques. In addition, all applicants must be either residents of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or Ukraine, or citizens of these countries living abroad.

From all eligible entries, a jury of five esteemed art professionals will select 20 finalists to exhibit their work at the Art Academy of Latvia in Riga from October 30 to November 23, 2025. The exhibition will then travel to:

  • Pragedruliai, Lithuania (partner of Stasys Museum) — December 4, 2025 to January 21, 2026
  • Tartu Kunstimaja, Estonia — January 30 to March 3, 2026

The deadline for submissions is September 7, 2025.

For more information, please visit https://ypp.art/application/

YPP 2025 jury

Gail Buckland is a museum curator, author and former distinguished professor at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science in New York City. She has also taught at Columbia College, Chicago; the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn and held the Noble Chair in Art and Cultural History at Sarah Lawrence College, New York. Buckland has curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Brooklyn Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the New York Historical Society and the Royal Photographic Society, London, where she was Curator of Photography. Buckland has written or collaborated on over fifteen books. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and the Hudson Valley.

(Photo by Jill Furmanovsky)

Kristi Kongi is an Estonian artist whose practice explores the relationship between color, light, and space through both painting and large-scale installations. Known for transforming architectural spaces into immersive, emotionally charged environments, she draws on personal memory to construct vivid, abstract landscapes.

She currently serves as Head of the Painting Department and Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. Her work has been widely exhibited both in Estonia and internationally.

(Photo by Hedi Jaansoo)

Vilmantas Marcinkevicius is a Lithuanian artist and founder of the Young Painter Prize. Marcinkevicius’s distinct painting style was formed at the Vilnius Academy of Art during the collapse of the Soviet Union. His paintings can be distinguished by their vivid and unexpected colors, figurative metaphors and simplistic depictions of nature. Although Marcinkevicius creates spontaneously, each painting he creates has a theme, often posing uncomfortable questions. The artist has had 30+ solo shows across Europe, including but not limited to Denmark, France, Sweden and the Faroe Islands.

Bill McAlister is a visionary cultural leader, community activist, and independent arts producer whose career has spanned decades of innovation in the arts, education, and social engagement.

He served as Director of Battersea Arts Centre and later the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, where he played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary cultural discourse in the UK and beyond. He went on to become Cultural Policy Director at the Soros Foundations and has served as a trustee and advisor to numerous international organizations.

Honored with the Order of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and granted honorary citizenship of the Commonwealth of Maryland, Bill continues to influence cultural life as a Senior Advisor at Tonguesten and as an independent film producer.

Andris Vītoliņš is a Latvian painter, professor and Vice-Rector at the Art Academy of Latvia. Vītoliņš’s work focuses on industrial themes; machines, vehicles, mechanical parts, etc. He obtained a master’s degree in painting from the Art Academy of Latvia, a bachelors in visual communication and studied at the Faculty of Design for three years. Vītoliņš would be familiar to any artists involved with the art fair ArtVilnius, as he participated as both an artists and a chairman of the international jury for selecting the best participants.

YPP 2025 patrons

Ortiz family

Raila family

Rasa Juodviršienė

Bajorunas/Sarnoff foundation

YPP 2025 sponsors

Luminor Bank

The full list of sponsors will be announced shortly!

YPP 2025 is co-financed by the Lithuanian Council of Culture.

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YPP 2024 sponsors