The Maire Ragnhild Hollingsworth Oil Painting Prize
at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

The prize, in memory of my wife of 54 years, was inaugurated in 2023, the year she died. She was overjoyed at the notion of having a prize named after her at the RA for 25 years.

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In 2022, when this prize was conceived, there was no prize offered by the RA specifically for oil painting. The terms agreed were “£5,000 to be awarded to an artist who is considered to have placed particular emphasis on the exploration of oil painting, using oil as the predominant medium, on any type of support.”

 

Each of the prize-winners to date (2025) has said that their winning the prize has had a profound effect on the way they are perceived as artists.

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I take this opportunity to thank my co-judges for their insights and good humour. Especially, I must thank the Royal Academicians on the panels for their guidance and sharing their profound knowledge of Art Now.

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Paul Hollingsworth

Bruges, 2025