Ally Fallon is the youngest winner since Jack Smith won the prize in 1957
22:40, 04 Sep 2025Updated 22:41, 04 Sep 2025
Entries to the John Moores Painting Prize in the Walker Art Gallery(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A 27-year-old artist has made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize, awarded at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery today, September 4. Ally Fallon, from Manchester, scooped the top prize with his “brave” and “playful” work titled ‘If You Were Certain, What Would You Do Then?’
Fallon has become the youngest winner since Jack Smith won the inaugural Prize in 1957. Speaking at the gallery, Fallon said: “This is a very proud moment for me. It was only a few years ago I came here for the first time as a student, so to be standing here with my painting on the walls, it’s a very prominent moment.”
Based in Manchester, Fallon is a graduate of Manchester School of Art and Apollo Painting School and has already built an impressive CV, including a 2023 residency at Joya: AiR in Spain and exhibitions at Manchester’s HOME and London’s Boomer Gallery.
Fallon added: “There’s something about paint as a material that allows me to express an experience in a very unique way. Being based in Manchester, the John Moores Painting Prize is a really, really important exhibition for Northern-based artists, as it happens outside of London – it’s seen as a real beacon.”
Ally Fallon, winner of the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The John Moores Painting Prize is one of the country’s most significant painting competitions, and this year’s judging panel included big names such as Louise Giovanelli, Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Michael Simpson, Dr Zoé Whitley, and Zhang Enli.
The Prize is known for its blind judging system – meaning judges see the paintings without knowing who created them – allowing the work to speak for itself.
Judge Michael Simpson, a former winner, said: “It’s a brave, risk-taking painting. It plays with structure in a way that’s rich with playful vitality.”
Fellow judge Louise Giovanelli called it “a tightrope walk of a painting,” adding: “It represents the very nowness of painting.”
Fallon beat out more than 3,000 entries, with four other artists Highly Commended for their standout work:
They are: Davina Jackson for ‘Just Like It Was’ (2025), Katy Shepard for ‘Bedscape2’ (2025), Miranda Webster for ‘laid out’ (2024), and Joanna Whittle for ‘Darkened Heart (a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth)’ (2025).
Miranda Webster, Highly Commended artist for the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Also announced today was the winner of the Lady Grantchester Prize, designed to support early-career artists. That honour went to David Caines for his introspective painting monstrous endeavour, which explores the compulsions and challenges of making art.
Caines said: “My painting is, in part, a comment on the curious, obsessional, and often unsuccessful compulsion to make art… I’m elated that it will be exhibited in the beautiful Walker Art Gallery.”
The Lady Grantchester Prize includes £5,000 in cash, a residency, and £2,500 worth of art supplies from Winsor & Newton.
The John Moores Painting Prize 2025 exhibition opens this Saturday, September 6, and runs until 1 March 2026, showcasing 71 paintings from across the UK – including works by winners of the John Moores Painting Prize China, reflecting the growing international conversation around contemporary painting.
Davina Jackson, Highly Commended artist for the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Visitors will also get the chance to vote for the Visitors’ Choice Award, with £2,025 going to the public’s favourite.
Charlotte Keenan, Head of the Walker Art Gallery, said: “Ally Fallon’s win represents another remarkable moment in the Prize’s history. We’re proud to celebrate the extraordinary vitality of painting today and to continue supporting artists at all stages of their careers.”
As the Prize approaches its 70th anniversary in 2027, it continues to shape the British art scene. Past winners include legends like Peter Doig, Rose Wylie, and David Hockney, and many go on to major careers after their work is shown in Liverpool.
This year’s exhibition is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the Walker Art Gallery, cementing its place as a cultural cornerstone of Liverpool and a champion of British painting.