Italthai Portrait Prize now accepting entries

The Italthai Portrait Prize returns for a sixth year, inviting artists from across the country to come together in expressing stories through the language of portraiture, under the theme "The Ordinary Extraordinary".

A collaboration by River City Bangkok and Italthai Group, the portrait painting competition encourages a deeper way of seeing -- beyond headlines, accolades and society's conventional markers of success -- to rediscover the quiet significance embedded in everyday life.

For heroes do not always stand on stages or live in the public eye. Some leave their homes before dawn breaks; some sit patiently beside the sick in silent devotion; some buy two cups of coffee -- one for themselves and another for a stranger often overlooked. These small, seemingly ordinary acts carry a quiet power -- to brighten someone's day and to gently warm the world in ways we seldom notice.

This year, the competition invites all to celebrate the "ordinary individual" -- those who seek no recognition, yet live with responsibility, resilience and small, everyday acts of kindness.

The extraordinariness within this theme does not lie in grandeur or spectacle, but in consistency of action, in dedication to one's role and in kindness offered without witness. These fleeting, unassuming moments reveal a quiet beauty and courage that reside within -- if only we choose to truly see them.

This competition is open to artists of all genders and ages -- Thai nationals as well as foreign residents in Thailand -- whether professional practitioners, passionate art enthusiasts or students. It offers an inclusive platform to discover and celebrate individuals driven by both talent and aspiration.

It offers four distinguished awards -- Portrait Prize worth 500,000 baht, Packing Room Prize worth 200,000 baht, People's Choice Prize worth 100,000 baht and Youth Prize worth 100,000 baht.

Entries must be in the form of portrait paintings created from a live sitting and there are no restrictions on the materials used. The submission deadline is Aug 31.

Visit bitly.cx/PortraitPrize2026.