Youngest artist wins John Moores Painting Prize

Manchester-based artist Ally Fallon said it was a "very proud moment"

Artist Ally Fallon has been named as the youngest ever winner of the John Moores Painting Prize.

The 27-year-old from Manchester won the 2025 prize for his work, 'If You Were Certain, What Would You Do Then?'.

A graduate of Manchester School of Art and Apollo Painting School Fallon said it was "a very proud moment".

Judges said his work had "a deceptive simplicity" and was a "brave risk-taking painting" with "nuanced humour".

Fallon said: "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."

He said paint as a material "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," he added

Named after its founding sponsor Sir John Moores the internationally renowned prize was first awarded in 1957.

Past winners include David Hockney, Sarah Pickstone and Rose Wylie.

As this year's winner, Fallon receives £25,000 and a solo exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery.

The winning painting is on display along with 70 others selected, from more than 3,000 entries, for the John Moores Painting Prize 2025 exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery which runs from 6 September until 1 March 2026.