October 26, 2026
Entries open for PDA Apprentice/Trainee of the Year 2027
The Painting & Decorating Association is looking for the UK’s most talented painting and decorating apprentices and trainees. Entries close on Friday 5 February 2027.
The Painting & Decorating Association (PDA) has opened entries for its Apprentice/Trainee of the Year 2027 competition, which tests the precision, knowledge and flair of the UK’s next generation of decorators.
The competition is open to any registered painting and decorating apprentice or trainee in the UK, across Junior, Senior and Senior Plus categories. Entrants take on a six-hour practical challenge covering many of the core skills of the trade:
• Setting out and scaling up detailed drawings
• Freehand cutting in of curves, circles and straight lines
• Making and applying a stencil
• Broken colour effects, including rag-rolling and sponging
It is a test of stamina, accuracy and creativity, and a chance for apprentices to see how their skills compare with their peers’ from across the country.
From the competition to the show floor
Winners of the competition took centre stage at Painting & Decorating Show 2026, where four of them worked live in front of visitors in the Skills Hub at the NEC, Birmingham.
| “I did my apprenticeship way, way back, and if we don’t get young people into our trades, we’re going to be a lost cause. The Skills Hub this year was an amazing thing. Four of our winners from the Apprentice of the Year competition were there, working live in front of an audience, and each of them said to me afterwards it had been an experience of a lifetime to be working at the NEC.” Neil Ogilvie, Painting & Decorating Association |
The PDA hopes to bring its apprentices back to the show in 2027 and add a wallpapering section, so visitors can see that the next generation are not only painters, but painters and decorators.
Regional heats and a Grand Final
The competition runs as a series of regional heats across the UK, leading to a Grand Final. Overall winners and runners-up in each category will be invited to the PDA Premier Trophy Awards on 15 July 2027 at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, where the PDA Apprentice/Trainee of the Year will be crowned and presented with a selection of prizes.
Free membership for young decorators
Every entrant aged 16 to 25 will receive 12 months’ free membership of the PDA’s new Young Decorator scheme, which launches in early 2027.
How to enter
Entries close on Friday 5 February 2027. Full details, including the skills required for the competition, are on the PDA website.
Register for PDA Apprentice/Trainee of the Year 2027 →
