This started out as a review of what next for Portrait Artist of the Year. I pondered on what people had achieved from the various series. Which is how it turned into a review of what's happened to the artists who have won the various series.
This post is about the winners of Series 8 - 11 (Curtis Holder, Calum Stevenson, Morag Caister, Wendy Barratt and Brogen Bertie)
The next post is about the winners of Series 2 - 7 (Christian Hook, Gareth Reid, Samira Addo, Duncan Shoesmith, and Christobel Blackburn)
I'd say that what people achieve post PAOTY is a product of their:
- natural talent - and the artwork they produce
- application to the business side of art
- ability to communicate
- application of effort to getting things done and making things happen.
Curtis Holder Series 7 (Autumn 2020)
Curtis Holder has become a very regular feature of the art scene in the UK since he won in 2020 and gave up his teaching job. He has an extremely extensive "things done since PAOTY" list of activities on his website.
To my mind he has achieved the most through winning the PAOTY competition - by some margin.
Curtis Holder won the second series in 2020 (in the autumn slot on Sky Arts)
- Curtis Holder wins Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 7 Autumn 2020)
- PAOTY Commission: Curtis Holder draws Carlos Acosta
Sinec then:
- He's joined various national art societies
- He has been a selector or Judge for 11 exhibitions since 2020.
- He's participated in a very large number of group exhibitions
- 14 in 2025
- 8 in 2024
- 16 in 2023
- 17 in 2022
- 6 in 2021
- He's also become an artist Ambassador for Derwent Pencils.
Educated at Kingston University and Central Saint Martins, Holder is a member of Contemporary British Portrait Painters, The Society of Graphic Fine Art, and The Pastel Society. He has served as a selector for major national and international art competitions and collaborates with institutions to engage diverse audiences, fostering creativity and discussions on identity and representation.
I'm getting very used to seeing his large coloured pencil portraits in various annual exhibitions. I'm also seeing a lot of media coverage - check out his CV, it's very impressive
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| Curtis Holder - with two of his portraits at The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2024 at the Mall Galleries |
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| The exhibition of artwork selected by Curtis Holder at the ING Discerning Eye Annual Exhibition 2025. |
He's also had a number of solo exhibitions since 2020
2025- Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood, RBSA Gallery (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists), Birmingham, UK
- Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, UK
- Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
- Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford, UK
- The Makers: Portraits from Backstage, National Theatre, London, UK
- Something Unspoken, 45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection, London, UK
These are his awards going all the way back to winning PAOTY in 2020.
- Winner, ArtEvol Award, London Art Collective | 2025
- Winner, Audience Choice Award, London Art Collective | 2025
- Shortlist, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize | 2025
- Winner, President’s Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2024
- Winner (First Prize), The John Ruskin Prize | 2024
- Longlist, The Aesthetica Art Prize | 2024
- Winner, The Tom Coates Memorial Prize, The Pastel Society | 2024
- Winner, Drawing with a Dry-Based Medium Award, The Gallery at Green & Stone and St Cuthberts Mill | 2024
- Winner, Guildford House Open | 2023
- Highly Commended, RBSA Drawing Prize | 2023
- Shortlist, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize | 2022
- Winner, St Cuthberts Mill Award, Wells Art Contemporary | 202
- Shortlist, The Derwent Art Prize | 2022
- Winner, The Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award, The Pastel Society | 2022
- Winner, The Frank Herring & Sons Award, The Pastel Society | 2022
- Highly Commended, UK Coloured Pencil Society | 2021
- Highly Commended Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2021
- Longlist, The Self-Portrait Prize, Ruth Borchard Collection | 2021
- Highly Commended, The British Art Prize | 2021
- Longlist, Jackson’s Painting Prize | 2021
- Winner, Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year | 2020
Calum Stevenson Series 8 (2021)
Calum Stevenson won in 2021.
- See Calum Stevenson wins Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 8 Autumn 2021). He was commissioned to paint the violinist Nicola Benedetti.
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Calum Stevenson and Nicola Benedetti - at the Scottish Portrait
Gallery on the occasion of the unveiling of Calum's portrait of Nicola as the commission prize of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2021 |
His website states
Stevenson gained national recognition in 2021 when he became the youngest and first Scottish artist to win Sky Portrait Artist of the Year, a prestigious televised competition. His winning commission, a portrait of world-renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti, now resides in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection in Edinburgh. His work has since been acquired by many public and private collections, including The Oval in London and The Civic Collection for Glasgow’s City Chambers
Calum's track record of exhibitions since his win is listed on his website
- Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh, 2025
- Solo Show - The Dance Studio, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen, 2024
- PAOTD Judi Dench, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2023
- Solo Show - SYNTHESIS, Gallery Heinzel, Dundas Street, Edinburgh, 2022
- Portrait Artist of the Year: The Exhibition, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, 2022
- Annual Show, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 2021
- Scottish Portrait Awards, Glasgow Art Club, Glasgow, 2021
Morag Caister Series 9 (2022)
Morag Caister won Series 9 - see
Morag Caister wins Portrait Artist of the Year 2022 (Series 9)
Her commission was of Sir Lenny Henry - see PAOTY Commission - Painting Sir Lenny Henry (aka Len) - which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
Caister graduated with a BA in Painting from the University of Brighton in 2019, and gained national recognition in 2022 when she won Sky Arts' "Portrait Artist of the Year" competition, leading to a commission to paint British icon Sir Lenny Henry.
This achievement propelled her onto Forbes' "30 Under 30 Europe: Art & Culture" list and earned her a place in the Evening Standard's "Art Power List 2023." Since then, her work has been featured in collections such as the National Portrait Gallery, Glyndebourne and Soho House.
One of the Judges of PAOTY, Kate Bryan, is also the Chief Art Director for Soho House - mentioned above as now including Morag Caister as one of the artists whose artwork hangs in one of the many houses in various locations.
Her exhibitions since she won Series 9 in 2022 are as follows - and this
year included a solo exhibition
2025
- London, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery - 'Glimpses of a Sparkling World' (solo)
- London, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair: Summer Edition
- Canada, Toronto, Gallery 1888
- France, Eygalieres, NG Art Creative Residency, - 'Between Spaces'
- US, Los Angeles, Stowaway Gallery - 'In The End I'd Rather Wonder Than Know'
- London, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair
- US, Miami, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery - 'Untitled Art Fair'
- London, Copeland Gallery - 'The Cass Art Prize 2024'
- London, Delphian Gallery - 'Open Call Winners 2024'
- London, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery - 'Peacetime' (Solo)
- London, The National Portrait Gallery - 'The HSF Portrait Award 2024'
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Selected for the HSF Portrait Award at the National Portrait
Gallery Late for school with things on the mind, 120x180cm, Oil on Linen, 2024 Morag Caister |
- London, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery - 'Embraced'
- Glyndebourne, Glyndebourne Festival - '90 Years At Glyndebourne'
2023
Wendy won at the end of 2023 - see
Wendy Barratt is Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (Series 10)
£4,000 for an outstanding painting for her portrait of the chap who recently retired after 36 years running the Penzance Art Shop (below)
Her awards and achievements since winning the series also include
Brogan Bertie graduated with a BA (Hons) in Illustration and Visual Media
from London College of Communication in 2019, won Sky Arts Portrait artist
of the year in 2024 and conitnues to be based in Margate in Kent.
- London, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery - 'Origins'
- London, London Print Club - 'Blisters'
- Somerset, Babington House - 'Babington House Art Fayre'
- London, The National Portrait Gallery - 'Portrait Artist of the Decade: Portraits of Judi Dench'
- London, Unit 1 Gallery - 'Take My Hand'
- London, The Hoxton Gallery - 'AOAP x Jack Trodd Auction'
Post PAOTY publicity includes Press & Interviews which include
2024
2023
2024
2023
- Evening Standard: Art Power List 2023: Meet the 31 movers, shakers and picture-makers reinvigorating the city’s art scene
- Glass Magazine: Glass delves into portraiture with Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, Morag Caister, by Phoebe Minson
- Harper's Bazaar: Inside Elizabeth Day's laid back South-London Home
- Pure Arts: Interview
I love it when I see my write-up also listed on the winner's website!
Wendy Barrett Series 10 (2023)
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| Her paintings produced for and during Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (series 10) |
For me she has become a bit of a benchmark of "good portrait painting in
four hours".
Her £10,000 commission to paint Jane Goodall (1934-2025) was the biggest
commission in Wendy's life - and is now hanging in contemporary gallery
on the ground floor of the National Portrait Gallery
I now see Wendy quite a lot at exhibitions in London where she keeps popping up eg
- Painting Jane Goodall (her blog)
- PAOTY 2023: Commission Painting of Dr Jane Goodall (my blog post about the commission)
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| Wendy and Jane Goodall at the unveiling. |
- various exhibitions of the National FBA Art Societies based at the Mall Galleries - where she wins prizes
- She was also selected for the HSF Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in 2024. See Portrait Award 2024: Artists with their paintings
I took a decisive move this year - to transition from fulfilling the bread and butter job of graphic design and give LOADS more time to my personal art practice. So, with a dose of early spring enthusiasm, some dreams to aim for and my trying to ignore the usual imposter syndrome, I filled in forms and pinged a couple of applications off. Painting Grief April 2025 - about the painting she showed at the RP Annual Exhibition 2023
The following month and within a couple of days of each other I had been accepted for both my applications… I nearly fell off my stool but before doing so, had a big dance around the studioI was stood next to her at the ROI PV recently when she won The Roger Remington Award
£4,000 for an outstanding painting for her portrait of the chap who recently retired after 36 years running the Penzance Art Shop (below)
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The Roger Remington Award 2025 (£4,000) Peter by Wendy Barrett |
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Wendy Barrett with husband Fred. I think this was just after I'd said to her "you're going to win this award! |
Her awards and achievements since winning the series also include
2025
- Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibition, Mall Galleries London. see Review: Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2025
- Longlisted for Women in Art Prize
- Contemporary British Portrait Painters exhibition, The Department Store, Brixton. See Review: Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2025
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| Wendy Barratt with her portrait at the Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2025 |
- Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition, Mall Galleries London
- Longlisted for Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award
- Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Awards, National Portrait Gallery
2024
- Contemporary British Portrait Painters exhibition, The Department Store, Brixton
- Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition, Mall Galleries London
- Elected member of the Contemporary British Portrait Painters : CBPP
Brogan Bertie Series 11 (2024)
Brogan Bertie won in 2024 - see PAOTY Series 2024: Review of Final
His commission prize portrait of Lorraine Kelly now hangs in the Scottish
National Portrait Gallery. see
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Brogan Bertie's portrait of Lorraine Kelly
Commissioned by Sky Arts and presented to
National Galleries of Scotland
in 2024
on display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
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He has moved on from his leatherwork and now works exclusively as a fine artist
- from his studio at TKE in Margate
- which is part of the Tracey Emin Foundation supporting Young Artists
- this is his listing on the Foundation's website
I'm not seeing any new work or any exhibitions he's participated in on
his website - this seems to appear only on his
Instagram
- however there's quite a bit of
press coverage
eg
- I Went to Margate for 24 Hours. Here’s What I Learned From Tracey Emin and the Young Artists She’s Championing. (October 2025) - about he got to paint the portrait of the #1 Hollywood motion picture talent agent Joel Lubin
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