The 2026 Artist Awards Roundup: Meet Our Cash Award Winners So Far
At Arts to Hearts Project, every book we create is an opportunity to celebrate artists, share their stories, and bring their work into a space where it can be discovered and appreciated. So far in 2026, we have brought more than 20 books to life, each with its own character, purpose, and way of celebrating contemporary art. Some explore a particular theme, while others open their pages to a wider range of artistic voices, bringing together different styles, perspectives, and experiences.
Along the way, many of our books have also offered cash awards to recognize and encourage the artists whose work makes these collections so special. We believe that celebrating artists means more than simply giving their work a place on the page. It also means acknowledging their dedication, supporting their creative journeys, and finding meaningful ways to appreciate the time, thought, and heart they bring to their practice.
As we look back at the books we have published this year, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the artists who have received these awards. Each winner has contributed something valuable to their respective collection, helping make it what it is. We are deeply grateful to every artist who has been part of this journey and are excited to share the cash award winners from our 2026 books so far.
1. Studio Visit Book Vol. 7
Released as our first book of 2026, Studio Visit Book Vol. 7 set the tone for another year of celebrating contemporary artists and the thoughtful, individual practices that shape their work. The book brought together artists whose work stood out for its clarity, intention, and distinct perspective. Alongside showcasing their work, the edition also recognized three artists with cash awards in appreciation of their contributions to the collection.
Cash Award Winner: Esra Eslen
Award: $500 USD
Esra Eslen was selected as the cash award winner for Studio Visit Book Vol. 7. Her work stood out for its clarity, intention, and the strong, lasting impression it left throughout the selection process. Her practice brought a distinctive presence to the collection, making her a fitting recipient of the top cash award.
First Runner-Up: Palmer Earl
Award: $300 USD
Palmer Earl was recognized as the first runner-up for the strength and focus of his artistic practice. His submitted body of work demonstrated a clear sense of direction and a thoughtful approach that continued to resonate beyond the initial review.
Second Runner-Up: Olena Hrynevych
Award: $200 USD
Olena Hrynevych received the second runner-up award in recognition of her considered artistic practice and the strength of her submission. Her work reflected a clear sense of purpose and a distinctive perspective that added to the richness of Studio Visit Book Vol. 7.
Together, these three artists represent the dedication, depth, and care that make each edition of our books meaningful. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and grateful to have their work as part of our first book release of 2026.
2. 101 Art Book: Food Edition
101 Art Book: Food Edition celebrates the many ways artists find inspiration in food, bringing together creative interpretations, personal perspectives, and distinct artistic approaches. As part of our 2026 book collection, this edition also recognized three artists with cash awards, celebrating the thought, intention, and dedication reflected in their work.
Cash Award Winner: Yelena Beliaev
Award: $500 USD
Yelena Beliaev was selected as the cash award winner for 101 Art Book: Food Edition. Her work distinguished itself through clarity, intention, and the lasting impression it made on the jury. We are delighted to recognize her artistic contribution with the edition’s top cash award.
First Runner-Up: Natasha Junmanee
Award: $300 USD
Natasha Junmanee was recognized as the first runner-up for the strength and focus of her artistic practice. Her work brought a distinct perspective to the collection, earning recognition alongside the edition’s cash award winner.
Second Runner-Up: Daria Rosso
Award: $200 USD
Daria Rosso received the second runner-up award in recognition of the strength and thoughtfulness of her creative practice. Her distinct perspective contributed to the variety of creative voices celebrated in 101 Art Book: Food Edition.
Together, Yelena Beliaev, Natasha Junmanee, and Daria Rosso represent the depth, dedication, and individuality that make our books so special. We are grateful to have their work as part of this edition and proud to celebrate their achievements through these awards.
3. Arts To Hearts Magazine 12
Arts to Hearts Magazine Issue 12 gave us another opportunity to celebrate the artists who make our creative community so special. Among the voices featured in this edition, Millie Melvin was selected as the cash award winner for her thoughtful and experimental approach to art-making.
Cash Award Winner: Millie Melvin
Millie Melvin was selected as the cash award winner for Arts to Hearts Magazine Issue 12. An artist and workshop facilitator, Millie is currently studying at the Royal College of Art. Her practice spans photography and printmaking, incorporating experimental methods and eco-friendly processes. We are delighted to recognize her work and celebrate the distinctive approach she brings to her artistic practice.
We are grateful to Millie for being part of this edition and for bringing her perspective and creativity to the Arts to Hearts Magazine community. Her recognition reflects our continued commitment to celebrating artists and supporting the diverse practices that make contemporary art so exciting.
4. 101 Art Book: Photography Edition
101 Art Book: Photography Edition celebrates the many ways photographers use their cameras to explore the world, question what they see, and tell stories through images. Among the artists featured in this edition, Jay Tang stood out for his imaginative approach to photography, transforming everyday materials into atmospheric landscapes that challenge our perception of the familiar.
Cash Award Winner: Jay Tang
Jay Tang approaches photography from an unexpected direction. Rather than pointing his camera toward distant landscapes, he creates them using everyday materials such as tissues, plastic bags, and folded paper. Through carefully considered lighting, shadows, and compositions, these familiar objects become atmospheric scenes that resemble mountains, horizons, and abstract natural environments. His photographs explore the fascinating space between what something is and what it can become through the camera’s lens.
Raised between Chinese family values and Dutch culture, Tang grew up navigating different perspectives on identity, communication, and belonging. These experiences gradually found their way into his photography, with themes of family, identity, and legacy becoming central to his practice. His journey also reflects a willingness to keep learning. Although he had already worked professionally as a photographer, he enrolled at Fotovakschool in Amsterdam at 31 to deepen his understanding of photographic history and develop greater depth in his work.
Photography became even more personal when Tang became a father during his final year of study. Turning his attention toward his father’s village and his family’s roots, he began exploring the histories and connections he feared might otherwise be lost. This work reveals another dimension of his practice, one that moves beyond visual experimentation to consider memory, heritage, and the importance of preserving one’s stories.
We are proud to recognize Jay Tang in 101 Art Book: Photography Edition. His work reminds us that photography is not simply about capturing what is already there. It can also be about looking closer, questioning what we see, and discovering entire worlds within the smallest details.
5. Art And Woman Edition 3
Art and Woman Edition 3 celebrates the creativity, individuality, and diverse perspectives of women artists from around the world. Every artist brings her own experiences, ideas, and ways of seeing into her work, creating a collection that reflects the many voices shaping contemporary art today. From deeply personal expressions to bold visual explorations, this edition offers a space for women to share their stories, connect through their creativity, and have their work seen and appreciated. Above all, it is a celebration of the women who continue to make art, explore new possibilities, and contribute their unique voices to the ever-growing world of contemporary art.
Cash Award Winner: Mariya Myronova
We are proud to recognize Mariya Myronova as the recipient of the $500 USD cash award for Art and Woman Edition 3. Her work stood out for its clarity, intention, and the lasting impression it made on the jury throughout the selection process.
This recognition celebrates Mariya’s artistic contribution and the distinct perspective she brings to her practice. We are grateful to have her work as part of this edition and delighted to celebrate her achievement through the Arts to Hearts Project’s continued commitment to recognizing and supporting women artists.
6. 101 Art Book: Dog Edition
101 Art Book: Dog Edition celebrates the special place dogs hold in our lives and the many ways artists capture their presence, character, and connection to the world around them. Through this edition, we brought together creative voices that explore the subject through their own distinct perspectives, recognizing artists whose work left a lasting impression. Three artists were honored with cash awards for their contributions to the collection.
Cash Award Winner: Jade Eynon
Jade Eynon was selected as the cash award winner for 101 Art Book: Dog Edition. Born in 2001, Jade is a painter from the West Midlands whose practice explores animals in both urban and natural environments. Working with layered oils, she combines plein air observation with expressive brushwork, finding quiet significance in the animals and spaces she paints.
Her artwork Arms Of Teal (2026), an oil painting on board measuring 8 × 8 inches, reflects her distinctive approach to painting. We are proud to recognize Jade for the clarity, intention, and lasting impression her work made on the jury.
7. 100 Emerging Artists Of 2026
100 Emerging Artists Of 2026 celebrates artists who bring fresh perspectives, distinctive voices, and meaningful stories to contemporary art. This edition recognizes creatives whose work invites us to look closer, think differently, and discover the experiences that shape their artistic journeys. Among this year’s selected artists, Augustina Droze stood out for a practice that brings together the beautiful, the bewildering, the tender, and the powerful.
Cash Award Winner: Augustina Droze
Augustina Droze was selected as the winner of 100 Emerging Artists Of 2026, recognized for her imaginative paintings and the deeply personal stories woven into her practice. Her work brings together unexpected imagery, from rats alongside pearls to roaring animals draped in flowers and beetles transformed into elaborate decorative forms. Nothing feels limited to a single interpretation, reflecting an artist who embraces the many different sides of life.
Having lived in Beijing for over a decade, Droze has built a creative journey that extends well beyond the studio. Her work has included creating murals in India to help keep girls in school and using public art in Colombia to celebrate women through powerful representations of nature. A Fulbright recipient with a PhD, she has continued to develop her practice while raising her children, often finding time to paint around the rhythms of family life.
We are proud to celebrate Augustina Droze as the winner of 100 Emerging Artists Of 2026. Her work reminds us that artists do not have to choose between seemingly opposing parts of themselves. Instead, they can bring them together to create something honest, complex, and entirely their own. Her recognition celebrates not only her distinctive artistic vision but also the many experiences and perspectives that continue to shape her work.
8. Women Artists On The Rise – Edition 4
Women Artists On The Rise: 4th Edition is a luxurious 232-page hardcover collector’s book celebrating 100 exceptional women artists from around the world. Featuring an elegant gold-foiled die-cut jacket, cover artwork by Elen Bezhen, exclusive interviews, and remarkable contemporary artworks across a wide range of mediums, this edition celebrates the creativity and vision of women shaping today’s art world. Among the artists recognized in this collection, Elen Bezhen received the first-place cash award for her distinctive figurative painting practice.
Cash Award Winner: Elen Bezhen
Elen Bezhen was recognized as the first-place winner in Women Artists On The Rise: 4th Edition. A figurative painter born in the North Caucasus, Bezhen explores the relationship between nature and humanity, with particular attention to the feminine image. Having studied art in Moscow, she draws inspiration from the Northern Renaissance while bringing traditional painting techniques into conversation with a contemporary approach.
Her artwork Evening Songs of Crickets (2025), an oil painting on canvas measuring 100 × 60 cm, reflects her thoughtful engagement with the natural world and the human experience. Now living and working in France, Bezhen continues to develop a practice that brings together historical influences, careful observation, and her own artistic perspective.
We are proud to recognize Elen Bezhen for her achievement in this edition. Her work embodies the creativity, depth, and individuality celebrated by Women Artists On The Rise, making her a meaningful part of this collection of women shaping contemporary art.
9. 101 Art Book: Nature Edition 2026
101 Art Book: Nature Edition brings together 101 artists from around the world, exploring the many ways nature shapes contemporary artistic practice. Through landscapes, flora, fauna, imagined environments, and personal encounters with place, the edition offers a diverse collection of perspectives on the natural world. Presented as a premium zig-zag hardcover with gold-foil detailing, the book also features conversations with selected artists, including cover artist Tana Gaxiola and cash award winner Sahaya Sharma.
Cash Award Winner: Sahaya Sharma
Sahaya Sharma was selected as the cash award winner for 101 Art Book: Nature Edition 2026, recognized for a practice that invites viewers to look inward and consider the complex relationship between identity, memory, and personal transformation.
Her artwork, The Hybrid Survives, created using oil pastel on paper, offers a glimpse into an intimate process of reconnecting with the inner child. Reflecting on the work, Sharma describes revisiting the inner child, sitting with her, and embodying her, capturing the experience as what being cracked open feels like. Her words suggest a practice grounded in vulnerability, self-discovery, and the courage to sit with the parts of ourselves that continue to shape who we become.
We are proud to celebrate Sahaya Sharma and her contribution to 101 Art Book: Nature Edition. Her work brings a deeply personal dimension to this collection, reminding us that our encounters with the world around us can also become opportunities to explore our inner landscapes. We are grateful to have her perspective represented in this edition and delighted to recognize her artistic journey through this award.
10. 100 Emerging Artworks of 2026
100 Emerging Artworks Of 2026 brings together 100 artists from around the world in a beautifully crafted hardcover volume celebrating the ideas, perspectives, and visual languages shaping contemporary art. Designed as a collectible publication with refined gold detailing and a distinctive cutout cover, this fourth edition offers an opportunity to discover new talent, explore compelling artworks, and connect with artists at exciting points in their creative journeys.
First Prize Winner: Marcos Alvarado
Marcos Alvarado was selected as the first prize winner of 100 Emerging Artworks Of 2026 for his painting La Danza De La Esperanza (Blue Roof). Created during his 2025 residency at Estudio Arriba Abajo in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the work depicts Sol and Luna dancing within a fragile home, bringing opposing forces together in a single scene.
The painting’s blue tarp references fragility and resilience, introducing a powerful contrast between vulnerability and the ability to endure. Through this imagery, Alvarado explores the delicate balance between opposing forces, creating a work that invites viewers to reflect on the meaning of hope in uncertain circumstances.
We are proud to recognize Marcos Alvarado as the first prize winner of this edition. His work brings together thoughtful symbolism and a compelling visual narrative, reflecting the kind of artistic vision that makes discovering emerging artists so meaningful. We are delighted to celebrate his achievement and include his work in this year’s collection.
11. Arts To Hearts Magazine 13
Arts to Hearts Magazine Issue 13 celebrates artists whose work carries personal stories, distinctive visual languages, and the experiences that shape who they are. Through each issue, we create space for contemporary artists to share not only their work but also the ideas, memories, and influences behind it. For this edition, themed The Things I Hold Onto, Nayirie Keuteklian stood out with a practice that brings together the sacred and the surreal, blending traditional artistic techniques with dreamlike imagery and deeply personal themes.
Cash Award Winner: Nayirie Keuteklian
Nayirie Keuteklian was selected as the cash award winner for Arts to Hearts Magazine Issue 13. Based in Lebanon, she developed an early love for drawing, spending her childhood summers filling pages with wide-eyed characters inspired by cartoons and Japanese anime. Those early influences eventually became part of the visual language that defines her work today.
Her artistic journey also includes formal studies in Sacred Arts, Iconography, and Conservation, disciplines rooted in centuries-old traditions. She learned to work with egg tempera on wooden panels, created icons on commission, and saw one of her works enter the permanent collection of Notre-Dame de Paris. Alongside this traditional practice, she continued exploring a more imaginative world of candy-coloured hair, teary eyes, bows, pearls, and dreamlike figures.
In 2021, these seemingly different influences began to merge into a more cohesive artistic voice. Keuteklian brought together Byzantine gold and the discipline of icon painting with the expressive possibilities of pop surrealism, creating figures that feel both contemporary and timeless. Her painted girls are more than characters. Through their gazes, expressions, and stillness, they convey emotional states, vulnerability, memory, and the complicated feelings we sometimes struggle to put into words.
Her work felt particularly fitting for an issue centred on The Things I Hold Onto, exploring the memories, emotions, and experiences that remain with us. We are proud to recognize Nayirie Keuteklian as the cash award winner of Arts to Hearts Magazine Issue 13 and grateful to feature her distinctive perspective in this edition. Her practice reminds us that the things we carry from childhood, culture, and tradition can continue to shape us in unexpected and beautiful ways.
12. The Great Book of Art Makers 2026
The Great Book of Art Makers 2026 is a collector’s edition celebrating contemporary artists, their creative journeys, and the ideas that shape their work. Designed as more than a collection of artworks, the book brings together artist conversations, guest curators, and award-winning practices, offering readers a closer look at the people and stories behind the art. With Remus Grecu featured on the cover and conversations with Julia Collins, Carolina Pavia, and Anne Siems, the edition invites readers to spend time with a range of contemporary artistic voices. Its gold-foiled jacket and distinctive cut-out cover add another thoughtful layer to the experience, making the book a special addition to any art lover’s collection.
Cash Award Winner: Feyzan Alasya
Feyzan Alasya’s recognition as the cash award winner celebrates an artistic practice shaped by curiosity, intuition, and a deep appreciation for the possibilities of figurative painting. Her journey into the arts took a winding route, beginning with geological engineering at Istanbul Technical University before she redirected her studies toward art education at Marmara University and later completed a master’s degree in painting at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
A formative period of training with painter Kasım Koçak helped Feyzan discover painting as a lifelong commitment. Her work brings together influences from Islamic miniature painting, Baroque drama, Mannerism, and twentieth-century Expressionism, allowing these traditions to inform a visual language that feels distinctly her own. Rather than following a fixed plan, she makes space for intuition and uncertainty, creating dreamlike scenes in which human and animal figures, mythology, memories, and emotions often come together in unexpected ways.
Feyzan’s paintings invite viewers to look beyond literal narratives and discover their own interpretations. By allowing different worlds and feelings to coexist on the canvas, she creates work that feels open to possibility, encouraging us to slow down, look closer, and find meaning in what cannot always be neatly explained.
13. 101 Art Book: Colors Edition
Color is something we encounter every day, but artists have a wonderful way of making us see it differently.
A color can carry a memory. It can create a sense of place, suggest an emotion, bring movement into a composition, or become the quiet detail that changes everything around it. One artist may use color boldly and instinctively, while another may build an entire atmosphere from the softest shifts in tone.
Cash Award Winner: Stephen Scrivener
Stephen Scrivener received the Cash Award for his artwork Amazon 3.
Created with acrylic pen on watercolor paper mounted on a floating panel, the work takes inspiration from the folds, creases, and geometry of a cardboard box and transforms those everyday structural details into a vibrant abstract composition.
The repeated shapes and energetic colors give the work a strong sense of rhythm, turning something wonderfully ordinary into something unexpected. It is a beautiful example of how an artist can take a familiar object and completely change the way we see it.
Celebrating The Artists Behind Our Books
Every artist brings something different to the world of art. Some tell stories through color, others through memories, materials, familiar faces, or the little details of everyday life. Looking back at our 2026 books so far, we are reminded of just how many different ways there are to see, feel, and make sense of the world around us.
For us at Arts to Hearts Project, these cash awards are about more than recognizing a wonderful artwork or celebrating a moment of achievement. They are a way of saying that the time, care, curiosity, and courage artists bring to their practice matter. Behind every finished piece are countless hours of exploration, moments of uncertainty, ideas that take time to find their shape, and the determination to keep creating. We believe these efforts deserve to be seen and celebrated.
We are incredibly grateful to every artist who has shared their work with us this year and trusted us to be a small part of their creative journey. Each book has introduced us to new perspectives, thoughtful practices, and stories that have stayed with us long after the pages were put together. And to our cash award winners, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. We hope this moment brings a little encouragement for whatever comes next in your artistic journey.
As we continue publishing new books and discovering artists from around the world, we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate the people who make this creative community what it is. There is always another story to discover, another perspective to learn from, and another artist whose work deserves a little more space in the world. We are happy to keep making that space, one book, one artist, and one story at a time.
