Young Creatives Art Competition

Highlanes Gallery continues its 20^th anniversary year with a brand new initiative – an art competition and exhibition for children 18 years and under. The competition celebrates creativity and innovation and highlights the creative voices of children and young people.

Developed with the gallery’s IGNITE (12-18 yrs) and AMPLIFY (18-30 yrs) young persons’ panels, the competition focuses on themes of identity and the environment, and uniquely this competition will be adjudicated by individuals from the panels.

The legacy of the gallery founders Bea Orpen and Terry Trench, who first visioned the idea of a Collection and Municipal Art Gallery 80 years ago is reflected in this special competition and exhibition as Bea and Terry were great supporters of children and young people’s art, organising and adjudicating many competitions of art.

This new initiative has garnered critical financial and strategic support in addition to annual funding from Louth County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland, in sponsorship from dynamic businesses – McKeever Tallan Solicitors, McEvoy Craig Accountants, O’Reilly Thomas Solicitors, and Markey Minogue Coyle Solicitors – who are inspired by pioneering creativity.

1. Theme

Highlanes Gallery has been engaging children and young people since its inception 20 years ago, from programmes for toddlers, and workshops for children and young people, and in family groups, as well as hosting children’s art prizes.

This art competition and exhibition has been informed by young people’s voices, and the theme for this art competition also reflects that.

Me, my place, our world is the title of this year’s focus and we invite entries to explore themes of the self, identity and the environment, place and home, and family and community. We welcome reflections on this title and themes and through your art are excited to see how you will express this whether imaginary or real.

2. Competition Category & Prizes

3. Preparing Your Entry

4. Eligibility

5. Permission

6. Submission Deadline

All entries must be submitted by hand or post by the closing date, 2pm, Sunday 12^th of July . Late entries will not be accepted. This closing date is final. If your entry is received after this date, it will not be eligible for the competition. Allow plenty of time to complete and send your entry.

There are no online applications.

Please note that where artwork is submitted without the relevant application form being fully completed, it cannot progress to the preliminary judging stage of the competition.

7. Application Form

8. Originality

9. Depiction of People

The entrant confirms that any person depicted in the entry has granted permission to be portrayed as shown.

10. Copyright

The artwork must not feature imagery that the entrant does not own the rights to, including but not limited to Disney, Pixar, Marvel or other known characters, trademarks, brands or intellectual property.

11. Rules of Entry

12. Sending your Entry

13. Prize Fund

14. Judging Process

15. Competition Exhibition

This exhibition will run from Saturday 8^th August until Saturday 31^st October 2026, with access hours from 10.30am-5pm, daily – Tuesday to Saturday.

Highlanes Gallery has been in operation for almost 20 years and this competition will be expressed as an exhibition for competition winners and entries identified as Exceptional Talent Award.

16. Prize Giving Ceremony

Prize winners and entrants of Exceptional Talent will be contacted by post on or before Thursday 23rd July, and are invited to the ceremony to view their work.

This will take place on Friday 7^th August at 11am at the gallery.

17. Returning Your Artwork

Unselected work including memory sticks can be collected during gallery hours from Tuesday to Saturday from Tuesday 18^th to Saturday 29^th August 2026.

Selected work is automatically included in the exhibition and can be collected during gallery hours from Tuesday to from Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 21^st November 2026.

Access hours to the gallery are Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5pm.

Any uncollected work after these dates will be recycled.

18. GDPR

All personal information supplied will be used by Highlanes Gallery according to the gallery’s Young Creatives Art Competition Privacy Policy which may be viewed here.

19. Enquires

Please email youngcreativesartcompetition@highlanes.ie for all queries relating to the art competition.
The email response will be only during office hours and within 48 hours.

20. Sponsors

This new initiative of this highly regarded gallery has garnered important financial and strategic support in sponsorship from dynamic businesses –

McKeever Tallan Solicitors, McEvoy Craig Accountants, O’Reilly Thomas Solicitors, and Markey Minogue Coyle Solicitors – who are inspired by pioneering creativity and supporting Highlanes Gallery in this exciting venture.

Highlanes Gallery receives ongoing strategic funding from Louth County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Highlanes Gallery is a registered charity (CHY 15753)

Highlanes Gallery

Mission Statement:

Highlanes Gallery aims to develop, preserve and promote excellence and innovation in the visual arts through our permanent collection, temporary exhibition programmes and associated activities for the people of Drogheda, the North East and national and international audiences.

Statement of Values:

In fulfilment of this Mission, Highlanes Gallery, a non-for-profit, permanent public institution in the service of society aspires to:

- Promote and exhibit excellent historic and contemporary local, national and international art in Drogheda and the north-east region through a dynamic and diverse programme of collection, exhibition and access initiatives.
- Care for, conserve, exhibit, communicate, acquire and research the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection
- Critically engage the widest public with historic and contemporary visual art across all levels, from zero to specialist, to employ best practice in the curation, exhibition and critical engagement with art and to provide an interface between the artist, curators and other specialists with the public
- Develop Highlanes Gallery’s core aims through partnerships