![\"Entries](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_John-Moores-Painting-Prize.jpg\")
Entries to the John Moores Painting Prize in the Walker Art Gallery(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\nAlly Fallon is the youngest winner since Jack Smith won the prize in 1957<\/p>\n
22:40, 04 Sep 2025Updated 22:41, 04 Sep 2025<\/p>\n
Entries to the John Moores Painting Prize in the Walker Art Gallery(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n
A 27-year-old artist has made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize, awarded at Liverpool\u2019s Walker Art Gallery<\/a> today, September 4. Ally Fallon, from Manchester, scooped the top prize with his “brave” and “playful” work titled \u2018If You Were Certain, What Would You Do Then?\u2019<\/p>\n Fallon has become the youngest winner since Jack Smith won the inaugural Prize in 1957<\/a>. 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\u2019s a very prominent moment.”<\/p>\n Based in Manchester, Fallon is a graduate of Manchester School of Art and Apollo Painting School and has already built an impressive CV<\/a>, including a 2023 residency at Joya: AiR in Spain and exhibitions at Manchester’s HOME and London’s Boomer Gallery.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s seen as a real beacon.”<\/p>\n The John Moores Painting Prize is one of the country’s most significant painting competitions, and this year\u2019s judging panel included big names such as Louise Giovanelli, Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Michael Simpson, Dr Zo\u00e9 Whitley, and Zhang Enli.<\/p>\n The Prize is known for its blind judging system \u2013 meaning judges see the paintings without knowing who created them \u2013 allowing the work to speak for itself.<\/p>\n Judge Michael Simpson, a former winner, said: “It\u2019s a brave, risk-taking painting. It plays with structure in a way that\u2019s rich with playful vitality.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow judge Louise Giovanelli called it “a tightrope walk of a painting,” adding: “It represents the very nowness of painting.”<\/p>\n Fallon beat out more than 3,000 entries, with four other artists Highly Commended for their standout work:<\/p>\n They are: Davina Jackson for \u2018Just Like It Was<\/a>\u2019 (2025), Katy Shepard for \u2018Bedscape2<\/a>\u2019 (2025), Miranda Webster for \u2018laid out<\/a>\u2019 (2024), and Joanna Whittle for \u2018Darkened Heart (a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth)<\/a>\u2019 (2025).<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Caines said: “My painting is, in part, a comment on the curious, obsessional, and often unsuccessful compulsion to make art\u2026 I\u2019m elated that it will be exhibited in the beautiful Walker Art Gallery.”<\/p>\n The Lady Grantchester Prize includes \u00a35,000 in cash, a residency, and \u00a32,500 worth of art supplies from Winsor & Newton.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 including works by winners of the John Moores Painting Prize China, reflecting the growing international conversation around contemporary painting.<\/p>\n Visitors will also get the chance to vote for the Visitors\u2019 Choice Award, with \u00a32,025 going to the public\u2019s favourite.<\/p>\n Charlotte Keenan, Head of the Walker Art Gallery, said: “Ally Fallon’s win represents another remarkable moment in the Prize\u2019s history. We\u2019re proud to celebrate the extraordinary vitality of painting today and to continue supporting artists at all stages of their careers.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ally Fallon is the youngest winner since Jack Smith won the prize in 1957 22:40, 04 Sep 2025Updated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,378,179,2349,16,15,23768],"class_list":{"0":"post-398392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-in-the-news","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-liverpool-city-centre","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-walker-art-gallery"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115148426503388222","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Ally](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1757025433_173_0_John-Moores-Painting-Prize.jpg\")
Ally Fallon, winner of the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n![\"Miranda](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1757025434_164_0_John-Moores-Painting-Prize.jpg\")
Miranda Webster, Highly Commended artist for the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n![\"Davina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1757025435_19_0_John-Moores-Painting-Prize.jpg\")
Davina Jackson, Highly Commended artist for the John Moores Painting Prize(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n