Henley Festival is on the lookout for the next wave of standout visual artists with the opening of this year’s RISE Emerging Artist Prize, the festival’s platform for bold new talent.

RISE is Henley Festival’s charitable heartbeat, giving emerging creatives real opportunities in an industry where they’re increasingly hard to find. From funding and mentoring to hands‑on backstage experience with world‑class production teams, RISE aims to put the next generation centre‑stage.

The Emerging Artist Prize celebrates and supports supports early‑career visual artists who have yet to establish a profile among curators and collectors. In 2025, inaugural winner Raoul Orzabal received £1,000 for his intricately detailed landscapes and cityscapes, with runners‑up Curtis Chan and Susan Kellaway each awarded £500 for their vibrant, expressive works.

Submissions for the 2026 Prize are now open and will close on 31st March. The shortlist of artists will be announced on 7th April and three finalists revealed on 14th April, with a first prize of £1000 and two runners-up prizes of £500. The three finalists will also have the exciting opportunity to exhibit and sell their work at the RISE Gallery at Henley Festival 2026, which will take place from 8th-12th July. The Festival is celebrated for its innovative art scene, as it transforms the Thames riverside into an immersive outdoor gallery with stand out assemblages of paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings.

The panel of judges for the RISE by Henley Festival Emerging Artist Prize 2026 are: Jo Bausor, CEO, Henley Festival Katie Newman, Managing Director, David Messum Fine Art Rebecca Swainston, British artist Emma Ellis, Head of RISE, Henley Festival

For more information about the RISE by Henley Festival Emerging Artist Prize and how to enter, visit the Festival website at Emerging Artist Prize 2026 | Henley Festival