Meet The Award Winners Of The Big Book Of Painters 2026
A book like The Big Book of Painters 2026 is never just about bringing a collection of artworks together. It is about the artists behind them, the years of practice that shape their work, the ideas they explore, and the many different ways they choose to express themselves through painting.
We put a great deal of care into curating this edition, from discovering artists and reviewing submissions to bringing together a collection that reflects the variety and individuality of contemporary painting. Every artist included in these pages has something different to contribute, and that is exactly what makes this book so meaningful to us.
Painters have a special way of making us pause and look a little closer. Through color, texture, composition, and the simple act of putting an idea onto a surface, they create worlds that invite us to see things differently. Some paintings tell stories, some capture a feeling, and others leave room for viewers to find their own meaning. We wanted this edition to make space for all these approaches and celebrate the people who continue to make painting such a rich and evolving art form.
About The Project
The Big Book of Painters 2026 is a special hardcover edition bringing together more than 100 painters from around the world. Created for art lovers, collectors, and anyone who enjoys discovering new artists, this edition celebrates the many ways painting continues to evolve. Featuring Alejandro Pasquale as the cover artist, the book opens with his beautiful botanical portraiture before taking readers through a diverse collection of artistic styles, subjects, and approaches to painting.
There is plenty to discover within its pages. From portraiture, realism, and still life to abstraction, landscapes, and more experimental practices, the collection brings together artists working across different mediums and visual languages. Readers will also find exclusive conversations with Alejandro Pasquale, Nicola Pucci, Michele Poirier Mozzone, Sarah Brittain-Mansbridge, and Bronte Taton, offering a closer look at their creative journeys, inspirations, and the ideas behind their work.
We wanted this edition to be something readers would enjoy not only for the artwork inside but also for the experience of owning a beautifully made art book. Finished with a premium hardcover and elegant gold-foil detailing, it is a lovely addition to a personal art library, a collector’s shelf, or a coffee table where it can be picked up and explored again and again.
Published by Arts to Hearts Project, The Big Book of Painters 2026 continues our commitment to bringing artists and their work into print through thoughtfully curated international publications. More than a collection of paintings, it is a celebration of the people, ideas, and creative journeys that make contemporary painting so interesting to explore.
Now that the book is ready to be celebrated, we would love to turn the spotlight towards some of the artists who made this edition particularly special. Among the many wonderful painters featured in the collection, three artists received our award recognitions.
Let’s meet the award winners of The Big Book of Painters 2026.
Meet The Award Winners
Every book comes together through a meeting of different voices, ideas, and creative journeys. In The Big Book of Painters 2026, featured and invited artists share these pages alongside painters discovered through our open call, each bringing something of their own to the collection.
Among the many artists featured in this edition, we are delighted to celebrate the recipient of the $500 Cash Award and the two runner-up recognitions. These awards acknowledge artists whose work stood out to our jury for its strength, individuality, and the dedication reflected in their creative practice.
Winner: Huaixuan Xiang
Huaixuan Xiang is a New York based painter and illustrator whose work explores dreams, childhood memory, and the unconscious. She works primarily in acrylic. Her practice reflects on nostalgia, inner journeys, and the connections between personal memory and shared emotional experience. She invites viewers to turn inward and explore themselves through painting.
First Runner-Up: Sanjay Kumar
Sanjay Kumar is a contemporary Indian artist based in Lucknow. Born in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, his practice explores memory, displacement, labour, environmental transformation, and cultural identity through painting and mixed media. His major series, Nature on the Way, Speaker, and Transformation, examine changing landscapes and human experiences. His work has received national, international recognition through exhibitions, awards, scholarships, and fellowships.
Second Runner-Up: Penelope Lau
Penelope is a classical realist oil painter based in Melbourne, Australia. She works from her home studio creating vibrant still life and bespoke portrait commissions. Penelope’s work explores the gentle beauty found in treasured and every day objects. Deeply inspired by her Peranakan heritage, her works seek to tell a story while providing insight into a person’s life.
We warmly congratulate Huaixuan Xiang, Sanjay Kumar, and Penelope Lau on their recognition. Their achievements are an important part of this edition, reminding us that behind every artwork is a practice shaped by curiosity, persistence, and a desire to express something uniquely one’s own. We are grateful to have these artists as part of The Big Book of Painters 2026.
More Than 100 Artists, One Beautiful Collection
While celebrating our award winners, we also want to take a moment to appreciate every artist who has helped bring this book to life. With more than 100 artists featured, The Big Book of Painters 2026 brings together an exciting range of painting practices, perspectives, subjects, and visual languages.
Each artist has contributed something essential to the formation of this collection. From established painters to emerging voices, the book offers a chance to discover different approaches to the medium and appreciate the individuality that exists within contemporary painting. No two artistic journeys are quite alike, and having so many of them come together in one publication is something we feel incredibly proud of.
What makes a printed art book especially meaningful is the way it allows these works to live beyond a screen or a single moment of discovery. The paintings, the artists’ names, and their creative contributions become part of a physical collection that can be revisited, shared, displayed, and kept for years to come. For the artists, it is another place where their work and creative journey can be seen and remembered.
We hope The Big Book of Painters 2026 becomes just that: a book artists feel proud to be part of and one that art lovers will enjoy returning to whenever they want to discover something new.
Bring Home The Big Book Of Painters 2026
We have loved putting this edition together, and we cannot wait for it to find its way into the hands of artists, collectors, art lovers, and everyone who appreciates the many possibilities of painting.
If you would like to explore the work of more than 100 painters from different backgrounds and creative practices, this is your chance to be part of the collection too.
Pre-order your copy of The Big Book of Painters 2026 today and celebrate the artists who make painting worth looking at, remembering, and collecting.
