April 2026 Arts Awards Roundup: Poetry, Painting, and Prizes Announced
Takunda Muzondiwa won the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, securing a cash prize and professional development support. Kim Day earned the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year title, receiving a £10,000 commission for a painting now in the National Gallery of Ireland's collection. The Royal Philharmonic Society honored Jacob Collier with its Gamechanger Award, while Louise Alder and John Wilson received the Singer and Conductor Awards respectively. The Jackson's Art Prize shortlisted 71 works from 16,280 entries, with a £6,000 top prize. The Cass Art Prize offers a £10,000 main award, open to UK-based artists working in analogue 2D and 3D formats. The Derwent Art Prize awarded Victoria Clare Bernie first prize of £4,000 for pencil work. The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours gave Maciej Urbanek the £3,000 Winsor & Newton Award. Future Makers at the Royal Albert Hall will select one act for career support via auditions in June. The Black Swan Arts Open Exhibition seeks entries for its 40th anniversary show in Frome. The Imogen Kinchin Fellowship provides £3,000 and mentorship to emerging cultural leaders. The Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist includes works by Harriet Armstrong and Derek Owusu. The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist features Lyse Doucet and Arundhati Roy. The Critics Circle Theatre Awards recognized Paddington The Musical and Jamie Lloyd as Best Director.
Key facts
- Takunda Muzondiwa won the Roundhouse Poetry Slam
- Kim Day is Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year Season 11 winner
- Jacob Collier received the Royal Philharmonic Society Gamechanger Award
- Jackson's Art Prize shortlisted 71 works from 16,280 entries
- Cass Art Prize main award is £10,000
- Victoria Clare Bernie won first prize in Derwent Art Prize
- Maciej Urbanek received the Winsor & Newton Award worth £3,000
- Future Makers auditions at Royal Albert Hall are in June
Entities
Artists
- Takunda Muzondiwa
- Kim Day
- Jacob Collier
- Louise Alder
- John Wilson
- Eleanor Johnson
- Victoria Clare Bernie
- Tim Ashley
- Tamsin Nagel
- Anya Kalsi
- Ana Micaela Andoni
- Laju Sholola
- Maciej Urbanek
- Nick May
- Mari French
- Morven Stewart
- Tai Shan Schierenberg
- Kathleen Soriano
- Eva Langret
- Ann Christopher
- Jordan Stephens
- Inua Ellams
- Nikita Gill
- Harriet Armstrong
- Colwill Brown
- Sasha Debevec-McKenney
- Suzannah V Evans
- Seán Hewitt
- Derek Owusu
- Lyse Doucet
- Daisy Fancourt
- Judith Mackrell
- Jane Rogoyska
- Arundhati Roy
- Ece Temelkuran
- James Graham
- Jamie Lloyd
- Brendan Gleeson
- Rosamund Pike
- Tom Scutt
- Ava Pickett
- Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis
- Hayley Atwell
- Gwen John
- Augustus John
- Dylan Thomas
- Imogen Kinchin
- John Williams
- Andy Paradise
- Mark Allan
- Dr Diana Carroll
Institutions
- Roundhouse
- Sky Arts
- National Gallery of Ireland
- Royal Philharmonic Society
- Jackson's Art Prize
- Cass Art Prize
- The Bomb Factory
- Derwent
- Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
- Winsor & Newton
- Black Swan Arts
- Royal Albert Hall
- Swansea University
- Women's Prize for Non-Fiction
- Critics Circle Theatre Awards
- National Theatre
- Savoy Theatre
- Wyndham's Theatre
- Harold Pinter Theatre
- Bridge Theatre
- Almeida Theatre
- Hampstead Theatre
- Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- Les Fugitives
- Chatto & Windus
- Vintage
- Fitzcarraldo Editions
- Bloomsbury Poetry
- Jonathan Cape
- Canongate
- Hutchinson Heinemann
- Cornerstone
- Penguin Random House UK
- Cornerstone Press
- Picador
- Pan Macmillan
- Allen Lane
- Penguin Press
- Hamish Hamilton
- Penguin General
- Charlotte Aitken Trust
- Sinfonia of London
- Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society
- GeeOne x Zachariyah Sol
- ArtsHub
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- The Australian
- Woman's Day
- B&T
- Frieze London
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- County Mayo
- Croagh Patrick
- Frome
- Marylebone
- Swansea
- Wales
- Fife
- Kabul
- Afghanistan
- Paris
- France
- Bristol
- Liverpool
- Oxford
- England
- Isle of Man
- Channel Islands
- Jersey
- Guernsey
- Republic of Ireland