Farley Arts Trust Awards 2026 -
General Guidance
All entries from schools and colleges that are accepted for the exhibition in November are regarded as Award winners and each student receives a certificate and catalogue. In addition awards are made for the best in each category and donated prizes from sponsors are given to the school/college of the student. As appropriate a prize may be passed to the student.
There are two extra awards made for the best surrealist work in any of the categories overall. The winning artists in the Surrealist category are invited to have their work on display in Farleys House in Chiddingly alongside works by Roland Penrose, Lee Miller, Picasso and other prominent artists for the 2027 public opening season.
A Sylvia Tidy Award will also be presented to a student submitting a work which demonstrates awareness of current issues of personal or community concern.
While surrealist work is relevant throughout, the judges apply the following more general criteria. Success in just one or two points is enough as each one is an important attribute in its own right.
Clarity of intention with imaginative and skilled use of medium, well edited and executed in regard to size and scale.
• An original or unique (individual) concept, successful in communication of an idea or experience or feeling.
• Ability to combine a concept (idea) with vision (imagination) with the medium (appropriate choice and use of materials).
• Work that aspires to be uncompromisingly honest, bold, perceptive, enlightening, challenging, expressive and capable of lifting the spirits.
Works are transported and exhibited at the schools’ and students’ own risk.
Licence to use photograph of submitted art work:
By submitting an entry to the Farley Arts Trust Awards and exhibition (FATA) project each student and teacher grants Farley Arts Trust (FAT) a non‑exclusive, worldwide, royalty‑free licence to use the submitted photograph of the student’s art work only for purposes connected with this competition including: judging entries; promoting FATA 2026 in catalogues, websites, social media, press releases and other media; keeping the images in perpetuity in a non‑commercial archive to record the event’s history. This licence lasts for five years (and in perpetuity for archival purposes as above) from the date of submission. Students keep full ownership and copyright in their art works and photographs. The Farley Arts Trust will always credit the artist by name when their work is shown or published by FAT wherever reasonably possible. Farley Arts Trust will not sell or license the images to others, or use them for commercial purposes unrelated to FATA, unless the student gives written permission.
The organisers may issue announcements to the media regarding the awards and exhibition. The names of winners, along with the photographs submitted, may be used for publicity purposes.
Entrants acknowledge that once material has been published or shared with third‑party media, it may not be possible to withdraw or remove it. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms.
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