The BP Portrait Award exhibition returns to the National Portrait Gallery, offering the chance to see the works of some of the country’s best contemporary portrait artists brought together in London.

Contemporary art in London
The award, sponsored by BP, is an enormously successful annual event aimed at encouraging young artists to focus on and develop their portrait skills. The competition is open to any artist under the age of 40 and this year’s BP Portrait Award features a range of styles from a varied group of artists, collected in a unique exhibition.

BP Portrait Award winner
The winner of the 2009 BP Portrait Award was Peter Monkman, the acclaimed director of art at the famous Charterhouse school in Surrey who submitted a ghost-like portrait of his 12 year old daughter. The winning portrait, Changeling 2, is part of a series of paintings of his daughter that attempt to explore the the idea of the changeling, the folk-tale offspring of a fairy who then secretly takes the place of a human child.

BP Portrait Award shortlist 2009
This year's BP Portrait Award exhibition includes the remaining 55 shortlisted portraits, and features intimate and personal works from the likes of Carey Clarke, Michelle and Ben Edge and Lee Fether, who submitted his portrait of television presenter Gail Porter. In previous years the exhibition has been the launching pad for the careers of a younger generation of artists and this year the award has been just as popular with artists, and will no doubt be even more popular with visitors.

Cultured days out
Art fans can enjoy an exclusive collection of works at the National Portrait Gallery this summer, showcasing the latest in contemporary portraiture. Over 1,900 entrants submitted works to the competition this year and visitors to the gallery can see a selection of the very best throughout the summer. And if that's not enough, visitors can also see the works of the 2008 BP Travel Award winner Emmanouil Bitsakis, who visited China in celebration of the 2008 Olympic Games.

The BP Portrait Award runs at the National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, from 10am - 6pm (Thu-Fri until 9pm) Thursday 18th June - Sunday 20th September 2009. The exhibition is free to visit.