Series 13 of Portrait Artist of the Year starts 7th October 2026

Portrait Artist of the Year is back next week on Wednesday October 7, 2026. 

The thirteenth series has three new Judges - who I've already seen in action at Battersea Arts Centre during the heats in April this year.

Three New Judges
Eva Langret, Jonathan Yeo, and Katy Hessel

My post below covers:

• what's the same - essentially the format and broadcasts and rules
• what's different - ALL THE JUDGES
• the list of celebrity sitters right the way through to the Commission
• about my reviews after each broadcast episode
• access to my past reviews of every episode of every series since Series 4 in 2018

So what's different and what's the same

What's the same?

• the venue for all the heats is Battersea Arts Centre as in recent years
• the presenter is actor and tv presenter Stephen Mangan (since 2018)
• the programme is 
• commissioned by Sky Arts and 
• made by Storyvault Films
• you can access all programmes via Sky Arts on Freeview or via Now TV
• the series is broadcast on 
• a Wednesday evening - starting at 8pm. 
• It's then broadcast again the following evening at 7pm 
• and on the following weekend (but I forget when)
• Programme Format:
• Artists enter with a self-portrait created within the last 5 years.
• They are selected on merit by the panel of expert judges. 
• Nine artists compete per heat 
• At the heats they are given four hours to paint a surprise celebrity sitter. 
• Each heat winners then competes at the Semi-Final.
• Three of the Semi-Finalists go through to the Final but only one is selected as the overall winner.
• These were the Terms and Conditions of Entry / Participation for all the selected artists
• Prize: The winner receives 
• a £10,000 commission to produce an artwork that will go on public display at a National Institution (which changes every year) plus 
• £500 of art supplies from Cass Art.

What's different?

There are three new Judges - Eva Langret, Jonathan Yeo, and Katy Hessel 

(see my post The NEW Portrait Artist of the Year Judges for longer and much more detailed summaries and assessments of them

• Eva Langret we saw in LAOTY 2025 as a new Judge replacing Kate Bryan initially (re LAOTY 2026) but it's now clear she is the bang up to date and heavy weight substitute for Kathleen Soriano. She is the Director of Frieze London and Vice Chair of the Camden Art Centre.
• Jonathan Yeo is "the artist" replacement for Tai Shan Shierenberg for Portrait Artist of the Year only. (I understand Tai continues for LAOTY). I'm not a fan of his portraiture due to the predominance of a lot of "head and hands" and odd connections between the two - although he is excellent at capturing a good likeness. (see my blog post The King Charles Portrait by Jonathan Yeo.) He has been a trustee at the National Portrait Gallery since 2018. He seems to be a portrait painter who likes to paint celebrities and other well known people (like some of the sitters in this series) and is described by Sky as 

A portrait painter whose work you almost certainly know

• Katy Hessel - a British art historian, broadcaster, author, columnist and curator dedicated to highlighting women artists throughout history. She has an Instagram account @thegreatwomenartists 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eva Langret (@evalangret)

The Celebrity Sitters for Portrait Artist of the Year

The NEW Portrait Artist of the Year Judges

The announcement of the NEW Judges for Portrait Artist of the Year was rather weird in terms of timing and what appeared when.

So I decided to defer comment until sure everything that was being published had been published. So below is:

• An Overview of "What Happened?"
• The NEW Judges of Portrait Artist of the Year
• The Major Disconnect around Portraiture re. PAOTY
• New Judges for Landscape Artist of the Year?

The New Judges for PAOTY in 2026

Commentary on the new format of LAOTY - which has also been announced (on 20th January by Artist of the Year, Tai-Shan Shierenberg and Stephen Mangan) - and what happens re the Judges for that will follow.

What Happened?

There has been a lot of clamour on social media for the Judges to be changed - for various reasons - for quite a while (that's years!).  So it's now happening - but the media roll-out could have been better organised. It has the feel of something which had a few hiccups along the way

My timeline of info (coming and going out) went something like this

• On 9th January, we had the announcement from Kate Bryan on Instagram that she was longer participating in Artist of the Year. 
• This appeared on her Instagram Account but NOT the Artist of the Year Accounts. 
• Which is very unusual, media teams usually arrange to sync re the announcement of any change when this has been a negotiated and amicably agreed. 
• It also didn't appear on the accounts of the other two Judges. Make of that what you will.

Normally any well planned announcement goes live contemporaneously. (my blog post)

• The explanation for no announcement from Storyvault Films was probably because they were in the throes of the media publicity run-up to the new series of Landscape Artist of the Year - and you do NOT run two big stories at the same time! I kept looking - in the days afterwards - but the LAOTY news continued to predominate (as one would expect) 
• on 12th January, Artist of the Year announced details about Eva Langret, the new Judge for LAOTY on Instagram
• On 15th January I published that Kate Bryan is no longer a Judge for Artist of the Year referencing her Instagram post and highlighting that
• it had previously been announced that she was stepping down from Landscape Artist of the Year - but would carry on with PAOTY
• but it now included to Portrait Artist of the Year too!
• On 20th January - once LAOTY was underway, we got another major change announced completely out of the blue - about a major change to Landscape Artist of the Year 
• see my post BRAND NEW FORMAT for Landscape Artist of the Year Series 12 (2027) announced!
• Then 0n 29th January an announcement about a refresh and a change in Judges for Portrait Artist of the Year dropped - on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sky Arts Artist Of The Year (@artistoftheyear)

• Followed by my post on 30th January Goodbye - ALL THREE Artist of the Year Judges (which I had drafted late the previous evening and set up to publish at 9:30am.
• Followed 30 minutes later at 10am on 30th January, by the announcement of the NEW Portrait of the Year Judges. Here's the Facebook Announcement 

By which point I'd decided to give Artist of the Year a bit of a break re announcing changes on my blog - just in case there were any more!!

The NEW JUDGES for Portrait Artist of the Year

There are three new Judges for Portrait Artists of the Year. Below I will 

• summarise the three new Judges below with links to their websites and social media.
• followed by a commentary by me re the type of Judge that has been chosen and what I'm calling "The major disconnect around Portraiture"

I think Storyvault Films have basically gone with a "more of the same" BUT "bigger and better" than the three existing Judges. They have certainly updated with new younger models.

However they have not introduced more artists and I think the ratio is the wrong way round. Two well established and reputable portrait artists plus a heavyweight in the curatorial/commercial world would be a better balance in my view.

Goodbye - ALL THREE Artist of the Year Judges

So it's not just Bye Bye to Kate Bryan. Kathleen Soriano and Tai Shan Shierenberg will also NOT be the Judges for the next Series of Portrait Artist of the Year.

Which makes me wonder whether Kathleen and Tai are also not filming Landscape Artist of the Year later this year too. (There's no statement on either of their Instagram accounts)

So, first the announcement and then a recap of where we are at.....

There have been a LOT of changes.....

The Announcement

This was the announcement on Instagram - which dropped late yesterday afternoon

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sky Arts Artist Of The Year (@artistoftheyear)

The text says

After 12 brilliant series of Portrait Artist of the Year, we say Goodbye to our wonderful Judges, Kathleen Kate and Tai. Thank you so much for your expertise and insight. For championing creativity, supporting artists and bringing such wisdom and art to the show. You'll be hugely missed.

More Portrait Artist of the Year Announcements to follow.

I would add that almost every artist I've talked to who has been on the show (and that's a lot of people) have been very complimentary about the production team and the judges.

The Changes

I think first of all, we need to remember that Stuart Prebble (1951-2025), the man who invented Portrait Artist of the Year (and LAOTY) and who had a very illustrious television career before reinventing himself as a producer and starting Storyvault Films with some friends, died in August 2025.

One of the things I think - and I emphasise "think" - is happening is that there has been a change at the helm and they want a new crew.

That's just my hypothesis.

But it's not unusual in these circumstances.

12 years with more or less the same format and people means 

• a series can begin to look "tired" and in need of a bit of a "pick me up" 
• and/or starts to lose viewers 
• and/or applicants
• which prompts the identification of a need for an overhaul. 

What's currently being proposed is that the PAOTY series remains the same - with 72 artists participating across the 8 heats, while LAOTY changes to 10 artists across the whole series- and the terms and conditions have been changed along with the deadline for entries.

(This last paragraph has been updated since original publication)

Why have a Refresh?

Readers' Comments on The Great Pottery Throwdown

Yesterday I hoped my commentary How Pottery Throwdown is a better programme than Artist of the Year might have some resonance with readers of my blog.

I was surprised to see how very many thought 

• my analysis was spot on
• offered a few more views of their own.

So today is a READERS SPECIAL. Below you'll find comments left on my post when it was published on my Facebook Page yesterday

There were a number of themes - and I've organised the comments under the themes. Any emboldened comments are due to me highlighting them in bold.

Participating Potters in The Great Pottery Throwdown 2026
(Facebook 30 December 2025)

I highly recommend subscribing to The Great Pottery Throwdown Facebook Page. Always guaranteed to make you feel good!

What makes Throwdown special?

Totally agree-it’s a very skilfully put together programme, with an approach that seems very supportive and yes educational. The judges are very skilled in their field and respond with useful feedback and in a way that is positive and specific.
It’s thoughtful, gentle and actually about process and creativity and skill. Jo York Art

I totally agree with your assessment. There’s one more aspect of Throwdown that brings me joy, and that is how close the participants get to each other. There’s a real sense that they develop lifetime friendships and a community of likeminded people. And they help each other, whether it’s carrying things to the drying room, or flipping something heavy over. I remember an episode where one potter asked another for advice. The advice given was real advice, intended to really help. Diana Hume

Very much agree. I am a painter and art teacher but I prefer Throw Down to L/PAOTY. Much more interesting, educational and a pleasure to watch. Sue Bradley Artist

Plus a lot more in the section on the Judges..... 

Why the Format works

it’s mainly the format which lends itself to better showcasing the contestants’ skills (one big project which can be practiced and prepped plus a shorter test which is not revealed in advance) Hil Beavan 

The Great Pottery Throwdown is a gem! We get to know the potters over several weeks and care about them. As a group, they are so supportive of each other and the judges genuinely want them all to do well. I’m a painter, but this is my favourite programme to watch. Sarah Clark

Art versus Craft

I love the Pottery one, watch it religiously. Your comparison is spot on Katherine. I think the difference stems from the age old craft verses art problem that most people in the art world seem to suffer from, i.e. they seem to be afraid of the “craft” of art, the mastery of skills and techniques. It is almost like the magic circle, such a mysterious secret, that to really show and explain the process would not be good for the general public.  Sarah Wimperis 

The Judges

The Throwdown Judges 2026
Rich Miller and Keith Brymer Jones

Keith Brumer Jones 
25 March 2025

Last year, I had the good fortune to meet Keith Brymer Jones at Grayson Perry's exhibition at the Wallace Collection. I of course did the naff fan thing and introduced myself and said how much I enjoyed the show!

This is what you had to say.....

The warmth of the two Pottery judges of course makes a massive difference to setting the tone, and you never feel they look down their noses at anyone’s work even if it is not to their personal taste. This means that they can be straightforward about their comments, which always have a kind spin - even when something gets splatted in the Bucket of Doom! And of course they deliver their judgments directly to the contestants rather than behind the easels in a secret discussion. Hil Beavan

I love Pottery Throwdown! And how Keith gets so emotional when someone does good. He truly cares. Patty Henderson

Such kindness shown, and encouragement and I could go on….  Jane Duncan

The judges seem to care about the potters & their work &, yes, your comments about criteria for making & judging are spot on. Cath Allwood

Plus contrasting how the Judges behaved with the Judges in PAOTY/LAOTY

When they go around to each contestant during the makes, they often give helpful advice on what they see as the pitfalls to come. 

The po-faced inane utterances of the infamous trio from PAOTY and LAOTY are the very opposite. Kate Pearce

I wished that the PAOTY or LAOTY gets more detailed crit by the judges at the end. I found their cursory opinions often very vague and feels some of the artists were short changed for their efforts. I don’t see the points to show their discussion for the selections when the actual paintings were hidden from the viewers. It makes it look less serious about art than making a TV show. Yoriko Cole 

and my final word on the contrast with PAOTY/LAOTY 

You only have to read the comments on just about every review I write of every PAOTY / LAOTY episode to realise that very many viewers are very critical of the Judges. Mostly in relation to wiffle waffle language and the obscured way in which they talk about the judging.

What would be interesting is to change the judges and see if people were still critical i.e. is it the format or is it the judges? Making A Mark

About the Throwdown Judges

Here's a teeny bit about both of them. 

• They are, of course, THE REAL THING i.e. practising potters - except they make ceramics and tiles! 
• They've both been at it for a very long time - and they run their own businesses!

Keith Brymer Jones

Many people know me as the judge on the popular TV show, the Great Pottery Throw Down, but my real job, and my passion, is ceramics. I have been a ceramicist and design expert amassing both knowledge and experience for over four decades. Not only have I been successful with my own collection of ceramics, the award winning ‘Word Range’, I also work collaboratively with both British & International designers, artists illustrators & fashion houses. 

Rich Miller

Richard studied ceramics at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, graduating in 2003 . For the last 19 years he’s been running Froyle Tiles, a handmade tile company based in Surrey. Specialising in the bespoke production of high fired stoneware tiles, they have to date carried out a range of commissions for a variety of notable architects and designers.

and should Love Productions be reading.....

At least one reader out there would like Love Productions to tackle Printmaking as well!

Although I watch all the programmes you mention TGPT is definitely my favourite. I’m not a potter but I am an artist and a printmaker and would love to see the firm behind the Pottery, Sewing Bee and Bake off tackle Printmaking- with a different technique each week and a technical challenge as well.. I think it would be interesting and informative- the general public have no idea of the work involved in producing print based artwork! Drusilla Cole, Former Senior lecturer at University of the Arts London 

How Pottery Throwdown is a better programme than Artist of the Year

There have been a number of television programmes over the years about creating/making things in a competitive context and I've commented on a lot of them (see my Art on Television page)

I've been writing reviews of the Portrait and Lansdscape Artist of the Year series (and others) since 2018 and I've been watching The Great Pottery Throwdown since it started - but never reviewed it.

However this year, I feel prompted to say why I think Pottery Throwdown is a better programme

This is in the context of the multiple criticisms over the years of PAOTY and LAOTY, many of which are shared by viewers.

The Love Productions pic for The Great Pottery Throwdown

So here goes

A new Judge for Landscape Artist of the Year!

FINALLY! One small step after very many moans over very many months and years.

We have a new Judge for Landscape Artist of the Year. Kate Bryan has stepped away!!!

Plus they have announced the new Judge - who is Eva Langret, Director of Frieze - of which more below. Note: tomorrow I'll be discussing locations for the new series.

At Dover Castle: the new Judge Eva Langret (in yellow)
with Kathleen Soriano, Tai Shan Shierenberg and presenter Stephen Mangan

Kate Bryan no longer judging LAOTY

We can speculate as to the reasons why - but this is what has been said....

This is what she said

After ten incredible and memorable years on the show, it feels like the right moment to hand over the baton. It’s been a privilege to be part of something that means so much to so many people and to witness such extraordinary talent from the wildcards to the artists to the exceptional crew that make it all possible. Eva is a wonderful addition, and I can’t wait to see how the series evolves with fresh eyes on the panel. I am delighted to be still be continuing with Portrait Artist of the Year alongside my brilliant fellow judges, Tai and Kathleen.”

Press releases are often designed to obscure the reason why.

I’d like to thank Kate for a) opening up arts criticism to me and our millions of devoted Landscape Artist of the Year viewers, b) looking windswept and interesting at all the sunny and not so sunny locations she’s travelled to as a brilliant judge on the show, and c) being a total delight to work with.

Kate is a real expert in her field – she wears it lightly and communicates brilliantly, opening up the visual arts in an intelligent and accessible way. The Landscapes will miss her, but luckily for us she’ll continue to lend us her eyes and ears on Portrait Artist of the Year for which we are grateful.

Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted at Sky 

NO we're not. Many regular viewers would be very happy if the very obviously bossy and on occasions completely inarticulate Kate stepped away completely and waved Bye Bye forever.

I'm not going to labour this, but would merely ask

• how many times has she browbeat the others into going with her choice?
• how many times has she come out with "bryanisms" - words which are not recognisable in the lexicon of terms for describing art?

Personal theory - she's pregnant and is happy to do judging at Battersea - which means sleeping at home every night - but no longer wants to travel with a small child at home and another on the way - which would be compoletely understandable. Or just the latter minus the pregnancy.

About the new Judge: Eva Langret

Interviews with the Judges of Jackson's Painting Prize 2020

Jackson's Art Blog interviewed me recently in my role as a Judge of the Jackson's Painting Prize 2020.

I'm one of a team of Judges who will be reviewing entries to the competition in March next year.  You can read the interviews with all the Judges online - see the links below (the last one was published this morning!). 

Each provides an individual response to two questions asked of all judges

• How important do you think awards and competitions are for artists today?
• Do you have any advice for artists out there thinking about entering the Jackson’s Painting Prize this year?

I wrote more about the competition in my Call for Entries: Jackson's Painting Prize 2020 which you should read if you're interested in entering.

Judges for the Jackson's Painting Prize 2020
Top row: Adebanji Alade, Iain Nicholls, Rosalind Davis
Bottom row: Elizabeth Dellert, Terry Greene, Katherine Tyrrell

Read about the Judges

You can also read the interviews with the other expert Judges below. The LINK to the interview is in the Judge's name

• Iain Nicholls - last year's winner. You can also watch a video of an interview with him after winning last year's competition at the bottom of this blog post.
• Katherine Tyrrell - that's me! Do have a read 
• if you've not seen any of my artwork in a while, now's your chance to see some.
• or want to know about my favourite artists and see some of the art I like and/or appreciate - there's some images of that too
• finally, for those who want to know more about my thoughts on art competitions I have a something to say about their value and some tips for those wanting to enter!

• Elizabeth Dellert - Director of the Affordable Art Fair - UK Fair 
• Terry Greene - an artist living and working in West Yorkshire. who makes abstract paintings and writes the art blog Just Another Painter - in which he explains his interests and processes.

• Rosalind Davis - an artist-curator who co-wrote ‘What they didn’t teach you at art school’ (I've got a copy and recommend!)
• Adebanji Alade - currently Vice President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He's well known to many from presenting short art documentaries on The One Show on BBC1. His book The Addictive Sketcher is being published at the end of January 2020.

An interview with last year's winner

The Big Painting Challenge (Series 3) starts Easter Sunday!

The return of The Big Painting Challenge to the BBC!

The Third Series of The Big Painting Challenge kicks off next week.

Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles return at 6pm on Easter Sunday to introduce "a six week artistic boot camp" as the BBC like to call it.

It looks as if the Judges have returned to "normal" i.e. just Daphne Todd and Lachlan Goudie - which must mean I think that the BBC have read my comments on the third Judge from the last series - and doubtless there were other contributions on the same topic!

The two professional mentors are also back if Pascal Anson's tweet is anything to go by

#bigpaintingchallenge #BBC1 6pm Easter Sunday @bbcarts I promise a great first episode!! With @DianaAli22 #kickupthearts pic.twitter.com/GdUG47nCXv

— Pascal Anson (@iampascalanson) March 25, 2018

There are going to be six episodes and it appears we are back to moving around the country.

If precedent is any guide the series will cover the traditional genres of still life, portraiture, landscapes - rural and urban - and other aspects that build on previous topics and introduce an extra challenge eg wildlife and movement - followed by the Final in Episode 6.

Episode 1 - Still Life - 1st April BBC1 6pm

The episode runs from 6pm - 7pm on BBC1 (also available on iPlayer afterwards).

The first episode is based in Glasgow and involves:

• the topic is still life
• a first painting involves objects they have brought from home. 
• next a "masterclass" in still life painting - presumably involving the two professional mentors - to help improve painting of both volume and tone
• finally a painting of a large scale painting of the large-scale and shiny stills and fermenters used for producing whisky and gin in a distillery.

As in the last series, the paintings produced will be shown to a group of people - usually associated with the location - and determine the fate of one artist who gets an automatic pass to the next round.

Finally, the judges pass their judgement - and decide who goes home.

Next, I write my review of each episode and publish it on this blog as soon as possible after the programme!  So expect a review every Monday for the next six weeks!

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More about the Judges

I know both Judges and they are both very professional and very sound. 

• Daphne Todd OBE PPRP NEAC - PLUS 
• page on the Royal Society of Portrait Painters website and my blog posts about
• when she won the BP Daphne Todd wins BP Portrait Award 2010
• her last solo exhibition in Cork Street Daphne Todd at Messums - in which I analyse Daphne's paintings!
• Lachlan Goudie - PLUS 
• Twitter lachlangoudie
• an interesting article from Series 1 in 2015 about Lachlan Goudie on judging TV's The Big Painting Challenge

Remember, painting is not just about structure and technique. It's about emotion, energy, unexpected ideas and points of view. Painting is magic. From a blank piece of paper you can conjure up new worlds. Lachlan Goudie

More about The Big Painting Challenge

Below is a list of my Blog Posts for the previous two series of The Big Painting Challenge.

PLUS my article for WH Smith - Katherine Tyrrell: Ten Artistic Tips Learnt From The Big Painting Challenge

Making A Mark - SERIES TWO

The Finalists line-up at the end of Series 2

• The NEW BBC Painting Show - which outlines the process for entering.
• BBC's NEW Big Painting Challenge
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 1 (Still Life)
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 2 (Landscapes)
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 3 (Animals)
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 4 (Portraits)
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 5 (Movement)

PLUS my blog post about the run-up to the new show in 2017 in The NEW BBC Painting Show - which outlines the process for entering.

Making A Mark SERIES ONE

Participating artists at their art exhibition in Highgate after the end of the series

For those who want to revisit the 2015 Big Painting Challenge you can find all my past blog posts still available - and listed below!

• So what did you think of The Big Painting Challenge?
• The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 2
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 3
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 4
• Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 5
• The Final of The Big Painting Challenge
• The Bigger Picture - the Big Painting Challenge Artists have an Exhibition
• The Big Painting Challenge - the artists' blog posts

Plus the two posts in the run up to the programme starting

• The Great British Paint-Off: BBC1 searches for best amateur artists
• The Big Painting Challenge starts 22nd February on BBC1