Highlights from the 2026 UK Colour Pencil Awards

This year’s UK Colour Pencil Awards marked a significant milestone for the UK Colour Pencil Society, celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special Silver Exhibition. Founded in 2001, the Society has spent a quarter of a century championing coloured pencil as a respected fine art medium, supporting artists across the UK and internationally.

For the first time, the 2026 exhibition was held at Mall Galleries in London – an important moment in the Society’s history and a reflection of its growing presence within the wider fine art community.

The UK Colour Pencil Society (UKCPS) was established to promote coloured pencil as a serious and versatile artistic medium. Over the past 25 years, it has built a strong and active membership of artists ranging from emerging practitioners to highly experienced professionals.

At its core, the Society is dedicated to both advocacy and education. It provides artists with opportunities to exhibit their work, gain recognition through awards, and connect with a like-minded creative community. Its annual open exhibitions have become a key platform for showcasing contemporary coloured pencil work in the UK.

Beyond exhibitions, the Society plays an important role in developing artistic practice. It supports learning through workshops, demonstrations, and shared expertise, helping artists refine their technical skills – from layering and burnishing to colour mixing and surface preparation.

The UKCPS also encourages innovation within the medium. While rooted in traditional techniques, its members continue to explore new approaches, including mixed media applications and experimental mark-making, expanding the possibilities of what coloured pencils can achieve in fine art.

Set within one of the UK’s leading gallery spaces, this year’s exhibition brought together a diverse collection of works that demonstrated the breadth of what coloured pencils can achieve. From meticulous realism and portraiture to expressive and experimental compositions, the standard on display reflected both technical expertise and creative ambition.

Alongside the exhibition, a programme of live demonstrations and artist-led sessions provided further insight into the techniques and processes behind the work, reinforcing the Society’s commitment to education and public engagement.

The Daler-Rowney/Lyra Award was presented to Manjima Anilkumar for her striking piece Prism Benz. Her work stood out for its refined layering, confident handling of tone, and a vibrant yet controlled use of colour.

Prism Benz demonstrates a strong understanding of surface and depth, with carefully built layers that create clarity while maintaining richness. The composition balances precision with expression, highlighting the potential of coloured pencils as a medium capable of both technical control and visual impact.

In recognition of her achievement, Manjima received a selection of professional Daler-Rowney/Lyra materials to support the continued development of her practice.

“Winning this award for Prism Benz is incredibly special as the drawing is a tribute to my father’s vintage car, a constant fixture of my childhood. I’ve always been fascinated by how its classic lines catch the light, and I wanted to use professional coloured pencils to capture that nostalgia through refined layering and a vibrant play of colour. I’m so grateful to Daler-Rowney and Lyra for this recognition.

Alongside the Daler-Rowney/Lyra Award, artists were recognised across several categories, each reflecting a different strength within the medium:

• Best Realism for exceptional detail and tonal control
• Best Portrait for capturing character and emotion
• People’s Choice for a work that resonated strongly with visitors

Together, these awards highlighted the versatility of coloured pencil, from precise observational work to more interpretative approaches.

This year’s exhibition was not only a showcase of current talent but also a reflection on how far the medium has developed over the past 25 years. The move to Mall Galleries signals a new level of visibility and ambition for the Society, placing coloured pencil firmly within the broader conversation of contemporary fine art.

Congratulations to all artists who took part in this year’s awards. The exhibition offered a compelling snapshot of a medium that continues to grow in both scope and recognition.

Find out more about the society: https://ukcps.org.uk/.