Sir John Hurt Award
Holt Art Projects
Funding
£2,000 First Prize
Deadline
14 June 2026
Location
Holt, North Norfolk, UK
Entry Fee
$32
About
An international contemporary art award for 2D wall-based media, offering a £2,000 prize and an exhibition in North Norfolk.
The Sir John Hurt Award celebrates excellence in contemporary art and is open to artists working across all forms of two-dimensional wall-based media, including painting, drawing, printmaking and mixed media. Submissions should demonstrate originality, strong visual impact and a high standard of artistic practice. Artists at all career stages worldwide are welcome to apply. The original Holt Festival Art Prize, inaugurated in 2010, was renamed in honour of award-winning actor and painter Sir John Hurt following his death in 2017. Prizes & Exhibition The judges will select a shortlist of works to be exhibited, from which one artist will be selected as the recipient of the award of £2,000. Shortlisted works will be exhibited as part of the Holt Art Projects annual exhibition programme in Holt and nearby Glandford, North Norfolk. The exhibition opens with an awards reception on Sunday 19 July 2026, followed by a private view on Monday 20 July. It will then be open daily from 10am to 5pm until Saturday 1 August. All works may be offered for sale unless otherwise specified by the artist (Holt Art Projects charges 28.2% commission on sales). 2026 Judges • Lady Anwen Hurt: Producer, casting director, pro-chancellor of Norwich University of the Arts, and Creative Director of Holt Art Projects. • Katherine Jones RA: Contemporary artist exploring the natural world through observation, colour, and form. • David Cass: Artist and curator working between the UK and Europe, producing multi-media and collaborative conceptual projects.