Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) was modified by reaction with several methacrylating agents. Modified PVALs featuring lateral polymerisable moieties with spacers of varying lenghts were prepared. When mixed with suitable radical photoinitiator and exposed to UV radiation, solutions of these polymers are converted into solid elastic gels, while dry layers are insolubilized. The properties of methacrylated PVALs were studied by FTIR, thermal analysis and contact angled measurement. The resist properties were evaluated – resist characteristic curves were recorded for various combination of crosslinkable group content and photoinitiator concentration.