13th

PORTRAIT

International Juried Art Competition

WINNER OF FIRST PRIZE | 12th PORTRAIT

Jacob Hansel Church | Oil | USA

TERAVARNA has merged the Figurative and Portrait Art Competitions, allowing artists to submit their creations under one unified theme as PORTRAIT. The 13th PORTRAIT Art Competition is a celebration of striking faces to soulful figures. Join and capture the essence of your subject in any style or medium, with power & personality. Win cash prizes, prestigious certificates, global exposure, and a featured showcase on TERAVARNA’s platform, seen by thousands. Let your portrait artworks speak louder than words — and show the world what only you can see!

The TERAVARNA gallery continues to uplift the spirits of artists worldwide with greater exposure and new opportunities — and this time, too, we have some surprises as add-ons, ensuring every creator can dream big!

CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION

The Portrait online art competition challenges the artists to express themselves in the form of a portrait. Portraits are the major artistic expression of human emotions, and so, we are welcoming each and every one of you to participate in this mystery of human boundaries, where portraits display the feelings of the muse and of the artist.

This is an open competition where artists can submit figurative pieces, animals or animal portraits, as well as their human pieces. In this portrait art contest, artists are invited to explore the range of different media and approaches they can use, whether representational or abstract.

The guidelines for the submission of works are below and provide the artists who are keen on participating in this exciting international portrait competition in 2026.

Note: the minimum age of participants is 18 years. Make sure to share your talent in this prestigious portrait drawing competition.

DEADLINE

The deadline for submission is June 30, 2026. * NOTE THAT THIS DEADLINE WILL NOT BE EXTENDED.

AWARD & PRIZES

Up to $ 5,000 in cash prizes will be given out to winning artists. **

The cash prizes will be disbursed among the recipient artists as selected by the jury. Depending on the number and quality of artworks submitted, the following prizes will be considered:

First Prize Award | $300-$750

Runner-Up Prize Award | $150-$500

Merit Prize Award | $75-$250

Talent Prize Award | $25-$100

Honorable Mention Award

Finalist Award

1) Premium Marketplace Feature: The First, Runners-up, and Merit prize winners of the competition will receive a free feature on a premier art marketplace like ARTSY for 6 months. This visibility will elevate their credentials and enhance their prospect of art sales.

Please Note:

The number of artworks featured on ARTSY may vary depending on the total number of artworks submitted by artists for the competition. The First prize winners can feature up to 10 artworks, Runner-ups can feature up to 5 artworks, and Merit prize winners can feature up to 3 artworks on ARTSY for 6 months. All artworks go through the jury and are required to be approved by the jury in order for them to be included in the ARTSY list.

Example: If a 1st place winner sent in 10 artworks for the competition, only 5 artworks, instead of 10, can be listed on ARTSY.

If you are a talent prize winner, you can avail a special 6-month representation on ARTSY, just for $149, to get your work showcased to an array of experienced collectors and well-respected galleries all over the world.

2) PR Promotion for Winners: The cash prize winners and the runner-ups will be more widely promoted via dedicated Press Release across premier media and news platforms like Google News, Yahoo News, NewsEdge, AP News and more. It will not only give their achievement a boost in leaps and bounds, but will also promote their winning artworks to the collectors and art lovers globally. This will also help to support artists' working lives and enhance their career paths.

3) Immersive VR Showcase to Boost Profile: There will be a special VR feature for all cash prize winners, showcasing their winning artworks in a simulated environment. Displaying artworks in immersive gallery setups like TERAVARNA will attract collectors and art enthusiasts across the globe, roping in more productive engagement, accelerating sales, and global visibility for artists.

4) Global Presence through Social Media: TERAVARNA actively encourages and highlights winning artists with features across social media sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. These are featured through curated posts, stories, feeds, reels, and in carousels to draw the attention of art lovers and collectors.

5) Newsletter Feature for Wider Exposure: TERAVARNA's monthly newsletter prominently features the award winners and showcases their accomplishments and introduces their talent to our community of engaged subscribers. These digital marketing strategies help boost an artist's visibility on the internet. Furthermore, it provides avenues for recognition, networking and sales.

6) Making Art Accessible to All: TERAVARNA offers special coupons for persons with disabilities and artists participating from developing countries (refer to the TERAVARNA Foundation website for details). *

* Artists applying for physically challenged categories or representing developing regions must submit valid supporting documents to claim the coupon. The coupon will be sent via email after the necessary verification process is done. Each coupon will be applicable for one submission only. These submissions will be juried separately.

** Note that TERAVARNA doesn't promise entrant artists to win a prize in money or money's worth in any of its competitions. Only artists selected by an independent jury from a pool of applicants will be eligible to receive professionally designed Certificates of Recognition. In case there are joint winners for any of the cash prizes the money will be split evenly among contestants. Similarly, if a category does not receive enough entries to be judged fairly within that category alone, it will be considered alongside other categories with sufficient entries. The final prize amount will depend on the total number of entries but will always be within the indicated range.

WINNER OF $150 RUNNER-UP | 12th PORTRAIT

Josepha Phillips
Kaiden | Oil | USA

FEES

20$ per artwork. Please note that the fees is non-refundable once the payment is made.

Important: If you wish to submit more than 10 artworks, you can fill out the submission form again.

ART WITH IMPACT: TERAVARNA doesn't only believe in creativity, but we also believe in the passion and goodness of this world; hence, 5% of all the entry fees up to $ 250 are donated to wildlife conservation projects via the NGOs that are protecting habitats and endangered species worldwide. Every entry gives back. Every stroke can make a difference.

TIMELINE

NOW | Art Competition Open

30 JUNE 2026, 11:59 PM California Time

Cash Prize Notification Starts

Deadline for Entries

7 JULY 2026

Non-Cash Prize Notification Starts

Exhibition of Winning Artworks Starts

Cash Prize Distribution Starts***

8 JULY 2026

29 JULY 2026

31 JULY 2026

Exhibition of Winning Artworks Ends

*** All cash prizes are given out via PayPal. If you don't have a free PayPal account, you can get one here.

IMAGE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Please make sure to meet all of the specifications outlined below:

1. Which file format is required for my submission?

-JPEG or JPG images are welcome only.

2. What should be the file size to be submitted?

-Ideally, less than 2MB; files up to 5MB will be accepted.

3. How should I crop my image?

-Your picture must be square-cut and display only the artwork.

-Eliminate any borders, frames, backgrounds, and unnecessary items.

4. What level of clarity should the artwork image be?

-Make sure that your picture is not blurry.

-The artwork must be easily seen from the front.

Disclaimer: Please note that TERAVARNA does not accept AI-generated artworks for submission.

AI Usage Policy: Strictly Prohibited

All submissions must be entirely human-created. The use of AI tools or AI-generated content—including elements, compositions, textures, or upscaling—is prohibited at any stage of the creative process.
To preserve the integrity of manual skill, any artwork involving AI in any form will be immediately disqualified.

HOW TO APPLY

STEP 1: Choose the number of artworks you'd like to submit from one of the options below.

STEP 2: Click on the number of artworks and proceed to make a payment. You can pay by PayPal or via credit card.

STEP 3: After successful payment, you'll be redirected to a page where you can upload your images and other details.

How To Apply

NOTE: In case you are facing any issues making your payment or your submission, please write to us at info@teravarna.com. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

HOW MANY ARTWORKS ARE YOU SUBMITTING?

TERAVARNA's only official email ID is info@teravarna.com. If you receive messages from any other address, please forward them to us for verification before responding. Your safety is our top priority.

Still Not Sure If You Should Participate?

Let us convince you otherwise.

Drawing a portrait and depicting emotions is one of the challenging genres of artwork. Artists who are adept at drawing faces on a canvas and interpreting feelings are quite good with emotions. They know what a person feels and express it skilfully with their colors and brushes. Let the world witness your portrait magic on canvas and other figurative forms by participating in the best portrait drawing art contest of 2026! TERAVARNA presents a trusted international platform where you can send your entries and compete with other artists.

The prime reason for participating in an international portrait drawing contest is to gain admiration from a global audience. Your masterpieces have the right to get exhibited and witnessed by the world of art aficionados. You can be a renowned artist giving birth to a new artistic trend. Become one by getting your work admired and assessed by world-renowned critics.

The jurors for this portrait art contest are experts chosen from experienced profiles across the world. Get a unique chance to be admired by these exemplary critics and learn from your experience. Whether you are a budding portrait artist or a professional painter, you can participate in our exhibition following the genre protocols.

We organize portrait painting competitions digitally to provide a brilliant platform for painters and art aficionados to connect with each other. This portal will give you an international platform to become established like the creators of famous portrait paintings.

The rewards are no less mind-blowing! The cash awards will be as high as $5,000, and the winners will be featured in art publications, social media, and other art sites. The prize winners of cash prizes are eligible to get a free representation for a prestigious platform such as ARTSY for 6 consecutive months for the first prize winner, runner-up, and the merit prize winners. Not to mention, new VR displays will display the winning artworks as if in a real environment to draw in art lovers and collectors from all around the world. These will give you the motivation to continue to challenge yourself in your creative work.

Please watch this page for up-to-date news on the results of the next portrait art competition.

Go through the guidelines well and prepare your artist’s profile. Prove your artistic skills to the world and win accolades. Be a part of this creative contest and establish your career as a portrait artist!