The BP Portrait Award, now in its twenty - fourth year, is one of Britains most prestigious art prizes, and is the leading showcase for artists throughout the world specialising in portraiture. Last year more than 255,000 people visited the exhibition, which is based on the competition open to all artists aged eighteen and over from around the world. The catalogue features sixty works from an international list of artists, which together display a diverse range of styles and painterly techniques. It also includes a fascinating essay by bestselling novelist, Joanna Trollope, and interviews with the prizewinners by Richard McClure give further insight into the artists behind the portraits.