Young Offaly artist wins top prize in RTÉ’s This is Art! national competition

A YOUNG artist from County Offaly, 11-year-old Keira Shand, has been announced as the first-place winner in the Age 8 to 11 category of RTÉ’s This is Art! 2025 competition. Keira’s winning artwork, ‘Roots of dreams under moonlit beams’, was selected from thousands of entries submitted by young people across the island of Ireland.

This year’s competition saw an extraordinary surge in participation, with entries almost doubling year-on-year reflecting the growing appetite for creative expression among young people nationwide.

Keira is among 77 young artists named winners across five age categories. The competition celebrates every young person who takes part. Each submission contributed to a vibrant and inspiring showcase of creativity from every corner of Ireland.

Supported by Creative Ireland and the Shared Island Initiative, RTÉ’s This is Art! continues its mission to champion and platform young creativity across the island of Ireland. The annual all-island competition invited young people aged 18 and under to respond to this year’s theme: This is Nature! Across five age categories, entrants submitted work in a wide range of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, decoupage and mixed media.

77 young artists will receive prizes this year. First-place winners across all categories will receive a bespoke award created by artist and judge Maser. Second and third-place winners - 28 entrants - will receive bursaries to further develop their artistic practice. In addition, the top 20 entrants in each category will receive personal commendations from the judging panel.

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This year’s judging panel - graffiti and street artist Maser, muralist and educator Joe Caslin, artist and fashion designer Helen Steele, Director of The Dock Mary Conlon, and ornithologist Sean Ronayne met in Dublin last month to review the entries and select the winners. The judges were inspired by the depth of thought, imagination and confidence shown across the submissions, noting the powerful ways young people interpreted the theme of nature.

Commenting on the winners' announcement, RTÉ’s Suzanne Kelly, Head of Children's and Young People's Content, said: “This Is Art! truly embodies our mission within Children’s & Young People’s Content at RTÉ. It provides a platform for talented young people to showcase their creativity and, in doing so, inspires others across the country to express themselves through art. It’s a privilege to be able to support young people in this way and to shine a light on the remarkable artists we have across the island of Ireland. We would encourage everyone to explore the digital gallery to experience the extraordinary entries from every corner of the country. If you haven’t already, visit the online gallery and see the talent for yourself.”

Visit the RTÉ This is Art! Digital gallery here: thisisart.rte.ie/submissions and explore entries from this and previous years. Follow @tia.ie on Instagram, @thisisart.ie on TikTok and @RTEjr on Facebook for more from RTÉ This is Art!

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