"Portrait Now!", which was launched in October, is an international competition for everybody who loves portraitism, to attract attention to the portrait genre from both artists and the general public. The competition is annually attended by sculptors, painters, graphic artists, as well as artists working with digital technologies (photo, video works).

Carlsberg Azerbaijan in cooperation with the Azerbaijan National Museum of Arts, the State Academy of Arts and the Association of Artists of Azerbaijan coordinated the selection process at the initial stage of the competition.

It is worth noting that the number of participants from Azerbaijan was 142, eight of which were selected by the jury for the regional stage of the competition. On February 22, within the Lvivarnya Museum and Cultural Complex of Brewing History (Ukraine, Lviv), the international jury will select the finalists who will compete for the main prizes in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen in May this year.

In the final of "Portrait Now! 2019" participants will compete for international recognition and the main prize of the competition — 85 000 DKK (22 000 AZN).

The names of the finalists from Azerbaijan:

• Vagif Huseynov
• Zakir Mehtiyev
• Elgiz Huseynov
• Ilham Mirzayev
• Mustagil Balayev
• Aynur Samadova
• Zamig Rzayev
• Sahib Huseynov

In addition, in order to support talented Azerbaijani artists, Carlsberg Azerbaijan in cooperation with the partners of the project chose the winner in the eco-nomination. The main requirement for the works in the eco-nomination was the reflection of environmental themes in the story or the materials used in the creation of the portrait. Kamala Kerrigan, who made a portrait from waste materials, became the winner in the eco-nomination.

The winners will be determined by an international jury:

• Christopher Baker, Director, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Sun Huguang, Director, the Museum at the Palace of Prince Gong, Beijing, China
• Wang Yi, Director, Times Modern Art Museum, Beijing, China
• Mikhail Ovchinnikov, First deputy director, Fabergé Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• Ólöf Kristín Sigurðardóttir, Director, Reykjavík Art Museum, Iceland
• Henrik Wivel, Art critic, Denmark
• Lucy Dahlsen, Curator, National Portrait Gallery, London
• Mette Skougaard, Director, The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark

The organizer of the competition is the Carlsberg Foundation, which has been actively investing in the development of culture since 1882. Then the company's founder, brewer J.C. Jacobsen launched the National History Museum at Frederiksborg castle. To interest the society in portrait painting, the Museum from the first years of its existence commissioned artists to paint portraits of celebrities. Now it's time not only to admire the art works, but also to evaluate it.