The Baltic Region’s Leading Competition for Emerging Painters

For more than 18 years, Young Painter Prize (YPP) has been discovering and championing the next generation of painters in the Baltic region.

As the oldest and most recognized competition for emerging painters in the Baltics, YPP brings together outstanding young artists from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and, since 2022, Ukraine. More than a competition, YPP is a platform for visibility, professional growth, and international connections, helping artists take their work beyond the studio and into the wider contemporary art world.

Each year, artists aged 18–33 submit their work to an international jury of artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals. The selected finalists become part of a growing community of artists whose careers continue to evolve long after the competition ends.

Talent Matters More Than Credentials

At YPP, we are interested in exceptional painters, not CVs.

No art degree is required. No prestigious academy is required. We believe great artists can come from anywhere. What matters is the quality, originality, and authenticity of the work.

Whether you are studying at an art academy, building your practice independently, or developing your work outside traditional institutions, we encourage you to apply.

Why Apply?

Over the past 18 years, YPP has become a launchpad for many artists who have gone on to build successful international careers. Among its most notable alumni are Andrius Zakarauskas, Kristina Ališauskaitė, Adomas Danusevičius, Jonas Jurcikas, Sandra Strėle, Agata Orłowska, and Linas Kaziulionis.

YPP offers more than an exhibition. It provides visibility, professional connections, international exposure, and access to a growing network of artists, curators, collectors, galleries, and cultural institutions.

Follow YPP 2026

Whether you’re an artist looking for your next opportunity, a curator searching for new talent, a collector, or simply passionate about contemporary painting, we invite you to follow YPP 2026 and discover the next generation of Baltic artists.

The 18th Young Painter Prize begins!

Applications for the 18th edition of Young Painter Prize are now closed.

This year, YPP once again invites the most talented emerging painters from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine to share their work with an international audience and compete for a place in one of the Baltic region’s most respected contemporary art platforms.

Twenty-five finalists will be selected by an international jury and invited to participate in the YPP 2026 exhibition programme.

Exhibition Programme
Opening Exhibition
Tallinn Art Hall in Lasnamäe

Dates
11–27 September 2026

Location
Jaan Koorti 24
Tallinn, Estonia

Exhibition Tour
Art Academy of Latvia Gallery, Riga
21 October – 21 November 2026
Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre (KKKC), Lithuania
4 December 2026 – 4 January 2027

Alongside the exhibitions, YPP will continue to create opportunities for artists through professional networking, artist talks, public events, curator-led tours, and international visibility.

International Jury
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir brings a different kind of electricity into the jury. An Icelandic visual artist, performer, musician and poet, she moves between language and silence, performance and poetry, ritual and installation. Her works often exist in the space where voice, object, myth and presence meet, where meaning is not simply explained, but transmitted.

Heske ten Cate is Curator of Contemporary Art at the Amsterdam Museum, a position she has held since 2024. Previously, she served as Artistic Director of Nest in The Hague, a contemporary art space known for experimental exhibitions and its engagement with urgent social and political questions. She has also worked as Editor-in-Chief of the art magazine Mister Motley and contributes as an editor and author to collaborative publications.

Paul Smulders knows painting from the inside of the process. A Dutch painter based in Amsterdam, his work moves between abstraction and figuration, between image and matter, structure and accident, nature and transformation.

Rūta Frankė brings the kind of perspective that understands both artists and the systems around them. As Deputy Director of Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain, and formerly Director of the Modern Art Center in Vilnius (MO Museum), she has worked closely with contemporary art from the institutional, curatorial and strategic sides.

Vilmantas Marcinkevičius is not only a member of the YPP jury. He is the person who started the whole thing.
A Lithuanian painter known for expressive intensity, bold colour and emotional force, he initiated Young Painter Prize in 2009 with a very clear belief: young painters need to be seen earlier, not after the world has already made up its mind about them.

Special juror for the DEMUS ART Fund Prize Selection:

Mindaugas Vanagas — entrepreneur, art collector, and founder of Vanagas Group, which includes DEMUS Asset Management, CITUS, Oxygen, and other companies.
Known for developing innovative, community-focused real estate projects, Mindaugas actively supports the integration of art and culture into urban life. His growing collection brings together contemporary Lithuanian and international artists and reflects his belief in the power of creativity to shape more vibrant, thoughtful, and engaging cities.

Awards & Opportunities

DEMUS ART FUND PRIZE
The DEMUS ART Fund Prize “The Most Promising Artist” is awarded to a YPP finalist whose artistic practice demonstrates exceptional potential for future development. The prize includes a €3,000 monetary award and a one-year mentorship programme with DEMUS ART Fund, offering the selected artist long-term professional support, guidance, and opportunities for further artistic growth.
The award reflects DEMUS ART Fund’s commitment to supporting emerging talent and creating meaningful opportunities for young artists to strengthen their practice, expand their professional networks, and take the next steps in their careers.

LUMINOR PRIZE FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
The Luminor Prize for Youth Empowerment is awarded through Luminor Private Banking’s “Art to Grow Value” initiative. Valued at €3,000, the prize is decided through a voting process involving Luminor Bank clients, who select the winning work from among the YPP finalists chosen by the international jury.
The winning work is displayed in the Luminor VIP lobby for 12 months and later auctioned, with proceeds directed to social initiatives. This prize connects young artists with a wider audience and links art, visibility and social purpose.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS
The YPP 2026 jury will also award Honourable Mentions to selected finalists. These distinctions are given to artists whose works stand out for their artistic quality, strong visual language, conceptual clarity or particular relevance within the exhibition. Honourable Mentions allow the jury to recognise important works beyond the main prize and to draw attention to artists whose practices deserve further visibility.

Applications Closed
Applications for Young Painter Prize 2026 are now closed.
Applicants must:

  • Be between 18 and 33 years old.
  • Work primarily in painting.
  • Be citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or Ukraine, regardless of where they currently live; or be permanent residents of Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia.

Application deadline: 7 July 2026
Finalists announcement: 3 August 2026

Questions? Contact us at

2026 Finalists

We are delighted to announce that there were a total of 117 submissions to this year’s Young Painter Prize competition!

Due to the large number of exceptional submissions, we have decided to announce 25 finalists. Please note that any artist statements are directly from the artist, and unedited by the YPP team.

Here they are in alphabetical order:

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