LONDON, UK.- Four portraits have been short-listed for the BP Portrait Award 2005. Winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on 13 June 2005 and the exhibition runs from 15 June - 25 September 2005. Following a record number of entries, four artists have been short-listed for the BP Portrait Award 2005, one of Britain's most prestigious art prizes.

In addition to a cash prize of £25,000, the winner will receive a commission, at the discretion of the National Portrait Gallery Trustees, worth £4,000. Second prize will be £6,000, third £4,000 and fourth £2,000.

The artists short-listed are:

Gregory Cumins (b.1973) graduated in sculpture in 1999 from Paris's École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts where he was taught by British sculptor Richard Deacon. He then worked in a website agency as a graphic designer and web-designer. In 2003 he started painting and has been selected for this year's Salon de Montrouge exhibition.

Dean Marsh (b.1968) is a London-based artist who following a Foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Design exhibited several times in the BP Portrait Award - in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2000. He won fourth prize in 2003 for Man with Grey Scarfe and was commended in 2002 for his portrait of Rosalind Savill.

Saul Robertson (b.1978) lives and works in Glasgow. In the past two years he has won both the David Cargill Senior Award and the David Cargill Award at the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts and was Young Artist of the Year at the Hunting Art Prizes in 2001. He has exhibited extensively throughout Britain.

Conor Walton (b.1970) lives and works in County Wicklow. Born in Dublin, he studied at the National College of Art and Design. Following his MA in Art History and Theory at the University of Essex, he went to Florence to study painting and old master techniques. He returned to Dublin in 1996, where his fourth solo exhibition will be held in June 2006.