About the Competition

The Young Painter Prize (YPP) is one of the most prestigious annual art competitions in the Baltic states. Established in 2009, it was created to celebrate the painting medium in response to the growing prominence of digital art, with the aim of encouraging young artists who work with traditional techniques.

Initially launched in Lithuania, the competition has since expanded to include submissions from artists in Estonia and Latvia as well, fostering a vibrant and dynamic art scene in the region.

Founded by Lithuanian painter Vilmantas Marcinkevičius, YPP provides a platform for Baltic artists under the age of 30, offering them recognition and opportunities to connect with art collectors, managers, and curators.

The primary goal of the YPP is to showcase the most promising and talented young painters in the Baltics, while offering the public a chance to explore the latest works of emerging artists. It also serves as a valuable resource for art collectors, managers, and curators seeking new talent in the region.

Since 2022, in solidarity with the Ukrainian nation during its struggle against Russian aggression, YPP has also welcomed young Ukrainian artists residing in the Baltic region to submit their work.

First YPP 2024 winners awarded

Congratulations to this year’s Young Painter Prize winner, Tadas (Truchill) Tručilauskas, and to the 2024 Luminor Prize for Youth Empowerment recipient, Matilda Kalvaitytė. You can still view these award-winning paintings, along with works by all 31 finalists, at the Vilnius Picture Gallery until January 25, 2025. For more information about the winners and the award ceremony read here.

YPP 2024 finalists

The finalists of this year’s competition have been selected! You will find the full list here.

YPP 2024 jury

Miglė Survilaitė is a Lithuanian art historian and chief curator at MO Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. She studied art at Vilnius Art Academy, where she researched Lithuanian art of the 1990s. Survilaitė has worked at MO Museum for nearly a decade, and has played a key role in the museum’s development. Throughout her career, the museum has become a staple player in Lithuanian art and culture.

Arūnas Gelūnas is a Lithuanian fine artist, philosopher and curator currently working as the director of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, which he has been doing since 2019, as well as the commissioner of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. Gelūnas had been enrolled as a researcher of Japanese painting and calligraphy at the Tokyo University of the Arts, which led to the article “Making Art in the Japanese Way: Nihonga as Process and Symbolic Action” (in Making Japanese Heritage, Routledge, 2009). Additionally, he taught a course in Japanese art history at Vilnius University. From 2010 to 2012, he served as the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, followed by his position as the permanent representative of Lithuania and ambassador to UNESCO from 2012 to 2016. He is currently working as the director of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, which he has been doing since 2019, as well as the commissioner of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. From 2010 to 2012, Gelūnas served as the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, followed by his position as the permanent representative of Lithuania and ambassador to UNESCO from 2012 to 2016.

Kaido Ole is a freelance painter from Tallinn, Estonia. In 1992, Ole graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts, and went on to work as a painting instructor first at the Tallinn Art School, and later at the Estonian Academy of Arts. His works center around the concept of power relations between people – even sometimes confronting the power dynamic between himself, as an artist, and his work. Multi-interpretable, absurd and humorous, Ole’s works have been exhibited since 1989, and in 2003 Ole represented Estonia at Venice’s 50th Biennale in the Estonian pavilion.

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.

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.

YPP 2024 patrons

Raila family

Ortiz family

Rasa Juodviršienė

Bajorunas/Sarnoff foundation

YPP 2024 sponsors

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