Organizer: Artists & Illustrators / The British Art Prize, supported by STAEDTLER in 2026.

Deadline: 7 August 2026, 5:00 pm.

Submission Categories: No separate categories. The competition accepts original two-dimensional artworks, including painting, drawing, textile, prints, and mixed media. Collaborative works are accepted. AI-generated works, giclée reproductions, and copies of original works generated in other media are not accepted.

Eligibility: Open worldwide to amateur, emerging, and professional artists. If submitting on behalf of an artist aged 18 or under, additional details will be required during the application process. Entrants must hold all rights to the submitted work. Each artwork, including multipart works such as diptychs or triptychs, must not exceed 275cm × 275cm including the frame, and must not project more than 50cm from the wall.

Entry Fee: £24 for the first artwork; £19 for each additional artwork. Entrants may submit up to 20 works.

Awards & Benefits: The total prize fund is worth over £10,000. First Prize includes £2,000 cash, a solo exhibition at Panter and Hall’s Cecil Court Gallery, a bundle of STAEDTLER art materials, a six-page feature in a future issue of Artists & Illustrators, and display at OXO Gallery. Second Prize includes £500 cash, a £750 Derwent art materials voucher, inclusion in the winners’ special issue, and exhibition at OXO Gallery. Third Prize includes a £750 Royal Talens art materials voucher, editorial inclusion, and exhibition. Additional awards include the £750 Raw Umber Studios Prize for Portraiture and the Clairefontaine People’s Choice Award, offering £1,000 worth of products and a six-page magazine feature. Up to around 75 shortlisted works will be exhibited at OXO Gallery, London, from 21 to 25 October 2026.

Core Introduction: The British Art Prize 2026 is a major annual open art competition by Artists & Illustrators for artists worldwide. It focuses on original two-dimensional art and offers visibility through exhibition, sales opportunities, magazine coverage, and gallery exposure. The prize is open across styles, media, and techniques, making it especially relevant for artists seeking recognition within the UK art-media and London exhibition scene.