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 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)
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.
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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
2024 – 2025
- Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, UK
- Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
2024
- Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford, UK
2023
- The Makers: Portraits from Backstage, National Theatre, London, UK
2021 – 2022
- 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 won in 2021.
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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
This is what her website says about what happened next
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
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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’
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US, Los Angeles, Stowaway Gallery – ‘In The End I’d Rather Wonder Than
Know’
2024
- 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’
- London, Rhodes Contemporary Gallery – ‘Origins’
- London, London Print Club – ‘Blisters’
- Somerset, Babington House – ‘Babington House Art Fayre’
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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’
2024
2023
2022
I love it when I see my write-up also listed on the winner’s website!
Wendy won at the end of 2023 – see
Wendy Barratt is Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (Series 10)
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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
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| Wendy and Jane Goodall at the unveiling. |
I now see Wendy quite a lot at exhibitions in London where she keeps popping up eg
- 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 studio
I 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
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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 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.
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 on display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery |
He has moved on from his leatherwork and now works exclusively as a fine artist
his website – this seems to appear only on his
– however there’s quite a bit of
press coverage
eg
