Meet the Prize Winners of the Green & Stone Summer Exhibition 2026
Every summer, Green & Stone's Summer Exhibition celebrates the remarkable breadth of contemporary art across the UK and beyond. This year's exhibition brought together an inspiring collection of paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and mixed media works from both emerging and established artists.
Alongside the exhibition, a number of generous prizes recognise exceptional artistic achievement, technical excellence and exciting future potential. We are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2026 awards.
Celebrating the Craft: Material Awards
At Green & Stone, artists' materials are at the heart of everything we do. Long before a work is exhibited, sold or collected, it begins with a blank surface, a brush, a pencil, a stick of pastel or a tube of paint. Making, in every sense, is central to our identity, and it is a privilege to support artists not only through our exhibitions but also through the materials they use to realise their ideas.
Many years ago, Green & Stone was described as being "as important to artists as a food shop." It is a comparison that has always stayed with us. Every artwork begins with materials, and one of the greatest pleasures of the Summer Exhibition is seeing the extraordinary variety of ways artists transform those materials into something entirely their own. Whether through delicate watercolour, richly layered oil paint, expressive pastel or experimental mixed media, each artist demonstrates a unique understanding of their chosen medium.
We are incredibly grateful to our materials partners, Michael Harding, Sennelier, and West Design, whose generous sponsorship makes these awards possible and celebrates excellence in artistic practice.
This year's recipients are:
Michael Harding Oil Painting Award awarded to
Bran Sivakumar
Jug and Apple, 2026
Oil on linen
Michael Harding Watercolour Award awarded to
Zuzanna Salamon
The Innocent Smell Of The Sun, 2025
Watercolour on Arches paper
Sennelier Award for Pastel awarded to
Bar Reddin
View From The Spanish - Hanway Street One, 2025
Chalk pastel and acrylic on linen
West Design Mixed Media Award awarded to
Lee Hardman
Boy (Against A Patterned Wall), 2025
Woodcut and drawing; graphite and pencil on Japanese paper
Congratulations to each of these artists, whose exceptional command of their materials impressed the judges and reminds us that every great artwork begins with an understanding of the tools used to create it.
Finally, thank you to everyone who visits our shop, asks questions, shares techniques, and allows us to be a small part of their creative process. We are constantly learning from the artists we serve, and it is a privilege to celebrate the remarkable work that grows from those conversations.
The Damian Greenish Drawing Award
A longstanding supporter of the Green & Stone Summer Exhibition, Damian Greenish has, for many years, generously presented an award celebrating excellence in drawing. With a deeply knowledgeable and curious eye, Damian has always championed the immediacy, discipline and expressive possibilities of drawing in all its forms.
This year, the Damian Greenish Drawing Award was presented to Alex Holt, a young artist from Edinburgh whose exceptional technical ability and sensitive approach to drawing stood out from the very beginning of the selection process. Alex's work demonstrated both confidence and precision, making them a thoroughly deserving recipient of this year's award.
NEW for 2026: The Society of Women Artists Young Artist Award
We were especially delighted to introduce a new award this year in partnership with the Society of Women Artists (SWA), generously presented by this year's selector Rachel Parker and the Society.
Awarded to Clementine Hanbury, the prize is designed not simply as recognition for an outstanding young woman artist, but as an opportunity to build a lasting relationship with one of Britain's most established artistic societies.
The award includes complimentary entry to the Society of Women Artists Annual Open Exhibition 2027 at the Mall Galleries, a year's Friends membership of the Society, an invitation to the SWA Annual Christmas Lunch, and ongoing opportunities to engage with the Society's community and programme throughout the year.
More than a prize, the award creates a valuable bridge between emerging talent and an established network of practising artists. By introducing young artists to the Society and its members, it offers increased visibility, meaningful connections and encouragement at an important stage in an artist's career.
The de Laszlo Foundation Awards
For many years, Green & Stone has been honoured to present a series of awards generously sponsored by The de Laszlo Foundation, whose continued commitment to supporting artists and nurturing creative practice has become an invaluable part of our Summer Exhibition. Their generosity not only recognises exceptional talent but also provides meaningful encouragement to artists at pivotal moments in their careers.
This year, the Foundation awarded four prizes: two major awards, each accompanied by a Highly Commended Award, celebrating excellence in both contemporary portraiture and surrealist-inspired practice.
The de Laszlo Foundation Young Artist Award
The £3,000 de Laszlo Foundation Young Artist Award was presented to Gabriella Fernandes, with the Highly Commended Young Artist Award (£500) awarded to Celia Liberace.
Both artists demonstrate the remarkable strength of a new generation of painters. Their works reveal a thoughtful and contemporary approach to portraiture, showing how one of art's oldest and most enduring traditions continues to evolve through fresh perspectives, technical confidence and deeply personal narratives.
The de Laszlo Foundation Surrealist Award
The £3,000 de Laszlo Foundation Surrealist Award was presented to Dylan Lisle, whose exceptional painting combines portraiture, landscape and abstraction. It demonstrates a rich, imaginative composition that lingers in the viewer's mind long after first encounter.
The Highly Commended Surrealist Award (£500) was presented to Gabriela Szulman in recognition of her exceptional mixed-media practice. Her work demonstrated an adventurous and compelling interpretation of surrealist ideas, combining materials and imagery with confidence and originality.
Together, these awards reflect The de Laszlo Foundation's enduring commitment to championing both emerging talent and artists willing to push the boundaries of their practice. We extend our sincere thanks to Damon and Sandra de Laszlo for their continued generosity and support of the Summer Exhibition and the artists who make it such a vibrant celebration of contemporary art.
The Green & Stone Award
The Green & Stone Award is our highest accolade within the Summer Exhibition, recognising an artist who demonstrates not only exceptional skill, but also the promise of a distinctive and sustainable artistic practice. The award includes a fully funded solo exhibition at Green & Stone, together with ongoing support and mentorship from the Gallery.
This year's recipient, Abigail Burton, truly embodies everything this award represents. Having previously exhibited with us on four occasions, we have had the privilege of following Abigail's artistic development over the past four years. Her work has continued to grow in confidence, originality and technical accomplishment, making this feel like the natural moment to present her with her first solo exhibition.
At Green & Stone, we are often described as the first rung on the ladder for emerging contemporary artists. We see our role as far more than simply providing exhibition space; we are committed to nurturing long-term artistic careers, working closely with artists as they develop their practice and establish their place within the contemporary art world. We are incredibly excited to begin this next chapter with Abigail and to support her as she prepares for her debut solo exhibition.
Following the announcement, Abigail shared her thoughts on receiving the award:
"I'm happy to share that The Naughty Corner has been awarded the Green & Stone Award – a fully funded solo show at The Gallery at Green & Stone, plus support and mentorship from the gallery in the lead-up.
I was literally thinking the other day that I'm never a prize winner – but that's the nature of my work, and I'm fine with it. Well, there we go! And the fact that it was a painting as strange and personal as The Naughty Corner encourages me to trust my instincts and keep painting whatever I'm moved to.
This will be my first solo show and my first time working in partnership with a gallery, so it's a massive step for me. But the time feels right, and I couldn't ask for a better gallery to work with. It's time to scale up in every sense – to start thinking in terms of large bodies of work, with pieces that speak to one another. It also comes at the perfect time: while I'm about to live in the US, it means I can stay engaged with the London art scene, with something exciting to return to. I'll work as hard as I can to make the most of this opportunity." Read more here
We are enormously proud to present Abigail as the 2026 recipient of the Green & Stone Award and look forward to sharing more about her forthcoming solo exhibition in due course.
One Prize Still Remains...
While our judges and sponsors have selected this year's award recipients, there is one very important prize that is still waiting to be decided, and this time, the choice belongs entirely to you.
The People's Choice Award celebrates the artwork that resonates most with our visitors. It is a reminder that there is no single way to experience art; sometimes the piece that captures the public's imagination is quite different from the one that catches a judge’s eye. That diversity of opinion is one of the things that makes the Summer Exhibition so special.
This year's winner will receive a £500 Green & Stone voucher, in recognition of an artist whose work has made a lasting impression on those who have visited the exhibition.
If you've visited the exhibition, we'd love to hear which artwork stopped you in your tracks. Whether it made you think, smile, question or simply kept drawing you back for another look, we encourage you to cast your vote and help decide our final award of the Summer Exhibition 2026.
Voting is open until the exhibition closes on 23 August, and every vote counts.
Vote for your favourite artwork here: People's Choice Award voting page
Thank you to everyone who has visited the exhibition, supported our artists and taken the time to engage so thoughtfully with their work. We look forward to announcing the winner soon.