Return of Raphael
Glaze Competition 2025
Theme: Self-portrait
Create a self-portrait inspired by Raphael’s lost Portrait of a Young Man
Get your work exhibited in a renowned museum
Win prestigious prizes
Join the competition and help Raphael return
The Story of Raphael’s Lost Portrait of a Young Man
Have you ever seen this painting? It is currently missing; in fact, it has been missing since 1945.
Portrait of a Young Man was created by Raphael probably in 1513-1514. By many, it is considered the most important painting to go missing during World War II. It was most certainly stolen from the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Kraków, Poland by the Nazis.
Today nothing about this story is certain. What happened to Raphael’s painting? Was it taken by the Governor Hans Frank when he fled from the Allies in 1945? Or was it taken by someone else? The other highlights of the Czartoryski collection - Leonardo’s Lady with an Ermine and Rembrandt’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan were found in his villa and luckily came back to Poland. However, Raphael’s portrait wasn’t there.
What about the portrait itself? The subject’s identity is unverified. Many scholars have traditionally regarded it as Raphael’s self-portrait. The young man is richly-dressed and confidently poised. The only photos of the painting are in black and white. We don’t know exactly what colors Raphael used in it.
On the wall of the Princes Czartoryski Museum (branch of the National Museum in Kraków), there is now one empty frame. It is the original frame of the piece, still waiting for the painting to return to its rightful place.
Excerpt from the text by Zuzanna Stańska,
Join the Competition before October 20th, 2025
Step-by-Step Guide to Join the Competition
Participating in our competition is easy! First, download the Glaze app for your iPad. Next, create your self-portrait inspired by Raphael's long-lost Portrait of a Young Man. Finally, submit your artwork directly through the app for a chance to win.
1. Open Glaze app
Start your creative journey by installing free Glaze app.
2. Create
Use a competition sketch available in Glaze app to start your self-portrait. Explore tutorials and educational materials to bring your vision to life.
3. Submit Your Artwork
Once your self-portrait is complete, submit it directly through Glaze app. Join the competition and showcase your talent.
Essential Rules
Eligibility
Entrants must have access to the Glaze app. There are four age categories: 7-10, 11-13, 14-18, 19+.
Submission Guidelines
All entries must be submitted digitally via the Glaze app before October 20, 2025.
Judging Process
Entries will be evaluated based on creativity, technique, and adherence to the contest theme by the esteemed panel of international experts. The members of the jury will be announced in May 2025.
Please read the full Terms & Conditions before entering our Competition.
Please ensure your entry meets all criteria to be considered for judging.
Prizes await our Contestants
Winners of the competition will have their artwork published in Apollo Art Magazine—the world’s leading art magazine, established in 1925, which reaches nearly 300,000 art lovers worldwide. Moreover, four winners will receive Apple iPads and Apple Pencils. The works of finalists will be presented at the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków, home to Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci, among other priceless masterpieces, showcasing their creativity to visitors and a global audience.
The four winning works will be published in Apollo magazine as sponsored publication.
Four Apple iPads and Apple Pencils for the winners.
Shortlisted works will be presented in the Czartoryski Museum.
Competition Jury
Brett Renfer is an experience designer specializing in narrative-driven, large-scale interactive environments. As Senior Project Manager for Emerging Technology at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, he leads efforts to shape the museum’s digital future. With 15+ years in interactive media, his clients have included NASA, Google, and the Gates Foundation. His work has earned recognition from IxDA, SEGD, Communication Arts, Cannes, and Museums and the Web.
Klaudia Ofwona Draber is a strategy consultant and the Executive Director & Chief Curator of KODA, a social practice residency for mid-career artists and lecturer at the Sotheby's Institute of Art, New York. She has led arts, tech, and strategy projects across Europe, Africa, and the U.S., with roles at the Polish Cultural Institute NY, the British Council, and UBS. A 2021–22 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney ISP, she serves on the ArtTable board and mentors at NEW INC.
Dean Phelus is a museum professional with over 30 years of experience in advancing museum practice, professional development, and international collaboration. He is the Editor in Chief of Museum magazine, published by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), where he also serves as the Senior Director of Special Projects.
Candida Lodovica de Angelis Corvi is the next generation at the helm of the oldest old masters and antiquities dealership in the world, Colnaghi. She is the Executive Director of Colnaghi Holding. She is in charge of the global strategy and institutional relations of Colnaghi Gallery. She is the CEO of the recently established Colnaghi Saudi. Finally, she serves as director of the nonprofit arm of the group, the Colnaghi Foundation, whose mission is the promotion and protection of Old Masters knowledge.
Tomasz Ostrowski is an economist and cultural manager with a distinguished track record in strategy, communication, and innovation. He has held positions at the European Commission, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Łazienki Królewskie Museum, where he focused on EU policy, institutional development, and international partnerships. Currently serving as Director of Strategy and Communication at the National Museum in Kraków, he is responsible for overseeing the museum’s communication, education, digitization, publishing, and fundraising efforts.
Evaluation Criteria
The submitted works will be evaluated on three general criteria:
1. Creativity
Original and innovative approach to expressing your identity.
2. Theme Adherence
Submissions must reflect the theme of self-portraiture, inspired by Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man.
3. Technique
Effective use of the potential of the Glaze app’s tools and painting techniques.
Shortlist will be announced on October 30, 2025
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