John Moores Painting Prize calls for entries as this year’s jury announced

The Walker Art Gallery and the John Moores Painting Prize Trust have officially launched the call for entries for the 2025 John Moores Painting Prize.

This John Moores Painting Prize, first established in 1957, has long been a beacon for contemporary painters, offering them a highly respected platform to showcase their work. 

The trust has unveiled a distinguished panel of jurors set to shape one of Britain’s most anticipated contemporary painting exhibitions.

Walker Art Gallery and the John Moores Painting Prize Trust are excited to announce the jury for the 2025 John Moores Painting Prize, alongside the formal opening of the call for entries. This distinguished panel of art world and creative industry figures will assess thousands of entries to determine both the exhibition content and prize winners. 

Through their collective expertise, the jury will shape one of Britain’s most anticipated contemporary painting exhibitions, with their final decisions remaining confidential until the official announcement. The First Prize winner will receive £25,000 and a prestigious solo display at Walker Art Gallery, while each artist chosen for the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition will receive an exhibiting fee.  

Louise Giovanelli is a London-born artist based in Manchester who studied at Manchester School of Art and Städelschule Frankfurt. Her work has been featured in prominent solo exhibitions at venues including White Cube London and Hong Kong, Hepworth Wakefield, and GRIMM New York. She has participated in significant group shows worldwide and her work is held in numerous prestigious collections, including MOCA Los Angeles, the National Museum Norway, and the Yuz Museum Shanghai. Her practice has earned her recognition in major institutions across Europe, Asia, and the United States. 

Gemma Rolls-Bentley is a leading contemporary art curator with nearly two decades of experience championing diversity in the field. Her 2024 book Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and the Spaces Between has received widespread acclaim. She specialises in amplifying female and LGBTQIA+ artists’ work, having curated for international institutions including Leslie Lohman Museum, Somerset House, and the Tom of Finland Foundation. In 2022, she curated the Brighton Beacon Collection, the UK’s largest permanent queer art display. She teaches across a number of institutions and serves on multiple boards, including Queercircle and the Courtauld Association Committee. 

Michael Simpson is a British artist based in Wiltshire and winner of the 2016 John Moores Painting Prize. Having studied at Bournemouth College of Art and the Royal College of Art London, his distinguished career includes solo exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Serpentine Gallery London, Minsheng Museum Shanghai, and Spike Island Bristol. His work features in prominent collections including Tate Modern, Long Museum Shanghai, and the Louisiana Museum, cementing his position in contemporary British art. 

Dr. Zoé Whitley is a London-based, US-born curator and writer. With a twenty year history in Britain’s leading museum collections and exhibition-making galleries (V&A, Tate, Hayward, and most recently as Director of Chisenhale Gallery, 2020-2025), projects to her credit include co-curating the acclaimed touring exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power (2017-2020), curating the British Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, and editing the major monograph on Barkley L. Hendicks:  Solid!  She is the author of two children’s books in the popular series Meet the Artist series on Frank Bowling and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.   

Zhang Enli is a prominent Chinese contemporary artist renowned for his extensive international exhibition history. Since 2000, his work has been showcased in over thirteen museums, with major solo exhibitions held across Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom in partnership with Hauser & Wirth. Notable venues include the Long Museum, Power Station of Art Shanghai, Galleria Borghese Rome, and the ICA London. His works are collected by prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou, Tate Collection, and Royal Academy of Arts. In 2014, he served as a juror for the John Moores Painting Prize China. 

Sandra Penketh, Executive Director of Collections and Research at National Museums Liverpool, said:

“We are delighted to announce this exceptional jury for the John Moores Painting Prize 2025. Their diverse perspectives and deep understanding of contemporary art practice will ensure a rigorous and thoughtful selection process. The Prize continues to be a vital platform for painters working in the UK today, and we look forward to seeing the innovative and challenging works that will be submitted for consideration.” 

Alongside the First Prize, the jury will award the Lady Grantchester Prize, offering £5,000, with a residency and £2,500 worth of art materials supplied by Winsor & Newton. Applications from artists in their final year of study or within five years of graduation are especially encouraged to apply for this award. 

Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to vote for their favourite painting to win the Visitors’ Choice Award. The winning artist will receive £2,025. 

Named after its founding sponsor Sir John Moores in 1957, the internationally renowned prize, organised in partnership with the John Moores Painting Prize Trust, continues to support artists and bring the best contemporary painting to Liverpool. The competition has awarded more than £700,000 in prize money across 32 exhibitions, showcasing more than 2,400 works of art. 

Past prize winners include David Hockney (1967), Mary Martin (1969), Lisa Milroy (1989), Peter Doig (1993), Keith Coventry (2010), Rose Wylie (2014), Jacqui Hallum (2018), and Kathryn Maple (2020). 

The call for entries comes ahead of the opening of a new exhibition by the First Prize winner of the 2023 edition, Graham Crowley. Opening 17 March, Graham Crowley: I paint shadows offers unprecedented insight into Crowley’s distinctive exploration of light and shadow through painting, featuring new works alongside his Prize-winning piece ‘Light Industry’.  

The call for entries for the John Moores Painting Prize 2025 is now open and runs until 5pm on 24 March 2025.  

For further information and to enter, visit liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/jmpp. 

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