Artist of the Year Awards

Artist of the Year Awards VAA Artist of the Year Award 2026
£10,000 in Prizes | Exhibit Your Art | Grow Your Art Career | 2026 Deadline Midnight 16th July 2026

The VAA Artist of the Year 2025 Award celebrates artistic excellence, recognising talent at all levels. With a £10,000 prize package, career-boosting courses and memberships, and a prestigious group exhibition in London for the overall winner, this award provides artists with the recognition, support, and opportunities they deserve to elevate their careers. Artists can compete in categories includ

ing Best International Artist, Best Professional & Established Artist, Best New & Emerging Artist, as well as the Members’ Choice Award and five Highly Commended Artists. Four new categories have just been announced, with awards that will honour key artistic styles, including Still Life, Wildlife, Abstract, and Landscape, ensuring a diverse range of art is represented. Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts. The AOTY25 Award is open to all – whether you’re an emerging talent or an established professional, this is your chance to gain recognition and take your artistic career to new heights!

23/06/2026

Meet VAA Artist of the Year Awards 2026 Judge Mackenzie Thorpe

Mackenzie Thorpe is one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, known for more than 35 years of heartfelt, emotive work. Exhibited across the UK, America, Japan, and Australia, his paintings, drawings, and sculptures explore love, hope, resilience, and family. With artworks held in collections worldwide, including a commission for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Thorpe continues to create from his Brighton studio, capturing the beauty and vulnerability of the human experience.

Hear what he has to say about being part of the Artist of the Year Awards 2026 judging panel:

"I'm really really proud that I've been asked to be a judge in this competition. And can I just say, all of you that enter, work hard and put your feelings into it, and I look so forward to seeing everything."

Our judging panel for the Artist of the Year Awards 2026 includes top curators, gallerists, art consultants, critics, and award-winning artists – experts with first-hand experience of what it takes to thrive in today’s art scene.

Want your work noticed by key figures shaping contemporary art? Now’s your chance to be seen. Apply for the Artist of the Year Awards 2026.

Meet the Panel & Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026

Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Submit now to get your work seen by industry leaders.

Why apply to the Artist of the Year Awards today?With a £10,000 prize fund including cash prizes, mentorship, exhibition...
22/06/2026

Why apply to the Artist of the Year Awards today?

With a £10,000 prize fund including cash prizes, mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and more, the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is your chance to showcase your work to a wide audience of fellow artists and leading industry professionals. Our categories are designed to support and recognise artists at every stage, from emerging talent to established practitioners.

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Could you be the next Artist of the Year?

21/06/2026

Meet VAA Artist of the Year Awards Judges Mollie and Rebekah Balshaw, Directors of Short Supply.

As VAA Artist of the Year 2026 judges, they share why awards like this matter for artists at every stage:

“Awards like this matter because they show artists they’re not invisible. That what they make resonates. And sometimes that tiny spark of recognition is the thing that keeps someone going.”

Our judging panel includes curators, gallerists, art consultants, critics, and award-winning artists, all committed to discovering and championing exceptional talent.

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

20/06/2026

👉 Meet the Artist of the Year Awards 2026 Judges

Our panel brings together some of the most experienced and respected voices in contemporary art, including practising artists, industry experts, art organisation directors and curators.

Mollie Balshaw & Rebekah Balshaw - Curator, Artists, and Director of Short Supply, championing Early-Creer Artists who are often overlooked: working-class, q***r, and those making brilliant work without the safety nets others take for granted.

Véra Kempf - Co-founder of and recipient of V***e Clicquot's Bold Woman Award in 2022. She is a French Touch Ambassador promoting creative industries and a champion of inclusive entrepreneurship.

Jaime Domínguez - International Artist and Artist of the Year 2025 Overall Winner whose practice coveys aesthetic traditions of Minimalism and Mexican folk art.

Annamieka Hopps – Product Education Specialist at Artwork Archive, working artist, muralist, and arts educator. She shows how organisation can strengthen creative practice and leads educational webinars and online programs, including 100+ episodes of The Art Friend Show, empowering artists with practical knowledge for long-term success.

Adwoa Botchey & Solomon Adebiyi .atelier - Creative duo behind Adeche Atelier, renowned storytellers and content creators with a special focus on African mythology and culture. Their work has been commissioned by institutions such as TATE, The National Gallery, BBC, the Royal Academy of Arts.

Mackenzie Thorpe - Recognised as one of the most successful British artists of the past 35 years. With an established an international presence his pieces are represented within the Royal Collection along with private and public collections worldwide.

Artists, don’t miss the chance to have your art reviewed by leading industry voices.

Deadline: Midnight, 16th July 2026
Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com

Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

One of the exclusive benefits of VAA Premium Membership is complimentary entry to the VAA Artist of the Year Awards - gi...
19/06/2026

One of the exclusive benefits of VAA Premium Membership is complimentary entry to the VAA Artist of the Year Awards - giving members the opportunity to showcase their work and apply without an entry fee.

Now in its 5th edition, the VAA Artist of the Year Awards welcomes submissions from artists worldwide. Designed to support both emerging and established artists, the award offers national exposure, professional development opportunities, and a £10,000 prize fund.

Not a Premium Member? Join today and unlock free entry plus year-round support for your creative practice.

Deadline: 16th July 2026
Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Could you be the next Artist of the Year?

19/06/2026

Could you be the next Artist of the Year? ✨

We’ve been amazed by the incredible submissions already received for the VAA Artist of the Year Awards 2026 - and there’s still time to enter.

This is your opportunity to put your work in front of a global audience, gain recognition, and take the next step in your creative journey.

Featured Artists:
Eleonor Andersson
Anna Clement
Vanessa Fearn
Jean-Ignace de Villenfagne
Gwenllian Bradbury
Sinclair Webster
Ann Petruckevitch
Fiona Young

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Deadline Approaching 🏆The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now welcomin...
18/06/2026

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Deadline Approaching 🏆

The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now welcoming submissions from artists worldwide. Designed to support both emerging and established talent, the award offers national exposure, professional development opportunities, and a £10,000 prize fund.

It is a chance for artists to elevate their practice, gain recognition, and reach new audiences. The VAA looks forward to discovering this year’s outstanding work.

7 Categories
• Best Professional & Established Artist
• Best New & Emerging Artist
• Best International Artist
• Abstract
• Landscape
• Portrait
• People’s Choice
• 5 Highly Commended Artists

Overall Winner
• Overall Winner
• £1000 Cash prize
• Art supplies
• Lifetime VAA membership
• Any VAA Short Course
• 12-month Mentorship
• VAA Momentum Programme
• Online Solo Expo
• Group Exhibition London
• Certificate

Category Winners
• £200 Cash Prize
• VAA Momentum Programme
• VAA Premium Annual Membership
• Choice of any VAA Short Course
• Online Group Exhibition
• Certificate of Achievement

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Could you be the next Artist of the Year?

.fincham

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Drawing to a Close 🏆The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now drawing to...
16/06/2026

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Drawing to a Close 🏆

The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now drawing to a close, with final submissions approaching from artists worldwide. Designed to support both emerging and established talent, the award offers national exposure, professional development opportunities, and a £10,000 prize fund.

It is a final chance for artists to elevate their practice, gain recognition, and reach new audiences. The VAA looks forward to discovering this year’s outstanding work.

7 Categories
* Best Professional & Established Artist
* Best New & Emerging Artist
* Best International Artist
* Abstract
* Landscape
* Portrait
* People’s Choice
* 5 Highly Commended Artists

Overall Winner
* Overall Winner
* £1000 Cash prize
* Art supplies
* Lifetime VAA membership
* Any VAA Short Course
* 12-month Mentorship
* VAA Momentum Programme
* Online Solo Expo
* Group Exhibition London
* Certificate

Category Winners
* £200 Cash Prize
* VAA Momentum Programme
* VAA Premium Annual Membership
* Choice of any VAA Short Course
* Online Group Exhibition
* Certificate of Achievement

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Could you be the next Artist of the Year?

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Now Open 🏆The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now welcoming submission...
06/05/2026

VAA Artist of the Year Awards Now Open 🏆

The 5th edition of the VAA Artist of the Year Awards is now welcoming submissions from artists worldwide. Designed to support both emerging and established talent, the award offers national exposure, professional development opportunities, and a £10,000 prize fund.

It is a chance for artists to elevate their practice, gain recognition, and reach new audiences. The VAA looks forward to discovering this year’s outstanding work.

7 Categories
* Best Professional & Established Artist
* Best New & Emerging Artist
* Best International Artist
* Abstract
* Landscape
* Portrait
* People’s Choice
* 5 Highly Commended Artists

Overall Winner
* Overall Winner
* £1000 Cash prize
* Art supplies
* Lifetime VAA membership
* Any VAA Short Course
* 12-month Mentorship
* VAA Momentum Programme
* Online Solo Expo
* Group Exhibition London
* Certificate

Category Winners
* £200 Cash Prize
* VAA Momentum Programme
* VAA Premium Annual Membership
* Choice of any VAA Short Course
* Online Group Exhibition
* Certificate of Achievement

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th July 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

Could you be the next Artist of the Year?

Last call! Only 12 hours left to submit to the VAA Artist of the Year Awards. This is your final chance to showcase your...
16/04/2026

Last call! Only 12 hours left to submit to the VAA Artist of the Year Awards. This is your final chance to showcase your work to a global audience and claim your place in the spotlight.

Apply Now: https://www.artistyearawards.com
Deadline: 16th April 2026
Free Entry For VAA Premium Members
Discounted Entry For Student Artists

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