Artist of the Year is a television competition shown on the Sky Arts channel (formerly known as Artsworld and Sky Arts 1) which aims to find the best portrait and landscape artist every year.
Overview Through several rounds of regional competitions in different parts of the UK professional and amateur artists are challenged to produce a landscape; whilst the portrait competition takes place in London where the contestants produce a picture of one of three famous sitters. The winning artist of each round, selected by three judges, advances to the semi-final and then to the final. The landscape competition is filmed on location; whilst the portrait competition is held at Battersea Arts Centre. The winner of both series receives a £10,000 commission to paint either a famous landmark or a famous personality and the picture becomes part of a national collection.
The show is produced by London and Glasgow-based independent production company Storyvault Films, and is currently presented by Stephen Mangan, who joined for the sixth series replacing Frank Skinner; until 2023 Skinner and then Mangan co-hosted the show with Joan Bakewell (with the exception of Portrait Artist programmes produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Mangan hosted alone due to social distancing precautions); Bakewell presented her final series of the show on Portrait Artist 2023 (Series 18 of the competition), in which she also appeared as a sitter in one of the episodes.
Until 2026 the regular judges were the British art historian, curator and arts broadcaster Kate Bryan, head of contemporary art at the Fine Art Society, Kathleen Soriano, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy, and portrait/landscape painter Tai-Shan Schierenberg. In 2026 a new judging panel was announced, with Eva Langret, director of Frieze London, replacing Bryan from Landscape Artist 2026 onwards, and Schierenberg and Soriano replaced on Portrait Artist by artist Jonathan Yeo and curator and historian Katy Hessel from 2026 onwards;ATV Today, 2026-01-30 a refreshed format for Landscape Artist from the 2027 series will be judged by Langret and Schierenberg, with Fearne Cotton hosting alongside Mangan.ATV Today, 2026-03-17
Series Series Start date End date Episodes Title Winner Commission 1 6 Portrait Nick Lord Hilary Mantel 2 8 Portrait Christian Hook Alan Cumming 3 9 Landscape Nerine McIntyre Flatford Mill 4 9 Landscape Richard Allen Petworth Park 5 9 Portrait Gareth Reid Graham Norton 6 9 Landscape Tom Voyce Firefly Estate 7 11 Portrait Samira Addo Kim Cattrall 8 9 Landscape Jen Gash Commission for the Imperial War Museum 9 11 Portrait Duncan Shoosmith Tom Jones 10 9 Landscape Fujiko Rose Venice 11 11 Portrait Christabel Blackburn Nile Rodgers 12 11 Portrait Curtis Holder Carlos Acosta 13 9 Landscape Ophelia Redpath Snowdonia National Park 14 12 Portrait Calum StevensonNicola Benedetti 15 10 Landscape Elisha EnfieldRochdale Canal 16 12 Portrait Morag CaisterLenny Henry 17 10 Landscape Finn Campbell-NotmanCelebrating the Van de Veldes 18 10 Portrait Wendy Barratt Jane Goodall 19 9 Landscape Monica Popham Science Museum 20 10 Portrait Brogan Bertie Lorraine Kelly 21 10 Landscape Benjamin MacGregor South of France 22 10 Portrait Chloe Barnes Hannah Fry
International adaptations Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, a Canadian version of the show, premiered in 2020 on Makeful.
Portrettmesterskapet, a Norwegian portrait version of the show, premiered on 14 September 2023 on NRK.
Danmarks bedste portrætmaler is a Danish portrait version of the show, premiered on 1 March 2018 on DR.
Portrait Artist Of The Year, an Australian portrait version of the show produced by EndemolShine Australia, premiered on 2 November 2025 on ABC TV and ABC iview.
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