Screaming Pope Prize

The Screaming Pope Prize (SPP) is an emerging arts award presented in Killorglin every June Bank Holiday weekend.

Throughout the year, the K-FEST art committee visit art colleges, exhibitions, and galleries across Ireland, scouting the country’s hottest new talent. A free online submission portal is also created allowing entry to all visual artists — regardless of situation, wealth, training, or status.

The SPP receives an average of 400 submissions each year — covering paint, print, sculpture, performance, textiles, graphic design, photography and audio visual. It’s from this pool that One Hundred artists are chosen to come to Killorglin and publicly exhibit at the K-FEST Art festival.

K-FEST is an amazing spectacle with between 15 and 20 pop up galleries created in unused and derelict buildings around the town. At night the pubs overflow with crowds enjoying the Ireland’s best emerging musicians and spoken word poets. But while most people are enjoying the revelry an elite panel of judges (Industry professionals) visit every art exhibition and select (after much heated debate) the winner of the Screaming Pope Prize.

The SPP is organised by a group of passionate and committed artists, business people, educators, and volunteers from all walks of life. It is a self-funded, not-for-profit initiative, with the ultimate vision of establishing itself as Ireland’s foremost celebration for emerging creatives in the arts.