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Since 1962 the Koestler Awards have played a unique, national role in motivating prisoners, secure hospital patients and immigration detainees to take part in the arts. The Koestler Awards are simple and powerful – we reward achievement, build self-confidence and broaden horizons for some of society’s most disadvantaged and marginalised people.

Our work harnesses the uniquely transformative power of the arts to help individuals learn the skills and gain the confidence to live creative, positive and productive lives. Each year we receive more than 7,000 entries from over 3,500 entrants across the UK in 52 categories. More than 2,000 Awards are granted by over 100 esteemed judges, and each year culminates in a curated exhibition at Southbank Centre which showcases the incredible power of the arts to transform lives.

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  • Visual Art

Pop Arty Brush Stroke, HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Stoke Heath, Long Family Commended Award for Painting, 2017
Home > Artforms > Visual Art

Visual Art

There is a huge range of fine art being produced in criminal justice and secure settings around the UK. Engaging with fine art is often one of the first steps into education for many people in secure settings.

Many entrants to the Koestler Awards make work for their friends or families. Portraits, in particular, are given as gifts or commissioned from photographs. Others make artwork for qualifications or college portfolios, or simply for the joy of experimenting with materials and ideas. Some work is made using materials in prison art departments, but people in secure settings can also purchase their own materials or experiment with every day or recycled materials (such as bread, soap and papier-mâché).

Each year the Koestler Awards generate one of the most eclectic and unusual collections of fine art in the UK.

Koestler Awards visual art categories include painting; watercolour and gouache; drawing; pastel; mixed media; portrait; sculpture; digital art; graphic novel; mural and wall hanging; printmaking; photography; ceramics; and textile art.

Online Gallery

See award-winning visual artwork from previous Koestler Awards below.

  • A photograph of colourful umbrellas suspended in the air with stone houses in the background by a Koestler Awards entrant from Ann House.

    Umbrellas
    Ann House
    Roger Graef Highly Commended Award for Photography
    2019

  • Colourful glazed ceramic coal scene by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Dovegate.

    Interlude of an Era
    HM Prison Dovegate
    Gold Award for Ceramics
    2019

  • A 3D graphic novel with colourful scenes depicting 'The Misadventures of Woody' cut into cardboard by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison The Mount.

    The Misadventures of Woody (3D)
    HM Prison The Mount
    Gold Award for Graphic Novel
    2019

  • A print of a fishing rod with a fish on the end shaking and a fish that has managed to escape on white paper by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont.

    The One That Got Away
    HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont
    First-Time Entrant Award for Printmaking
    2019

  • An ambiguous collage scene with layers and areas scratched or torn away by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Grendon.

    The Gap Between Our Plates
    HM Prison Grendon
    Bronze Award for Mixed Media
    2019

  • A side profile of a dog carved into hand soap by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Woodhill.

    Dave
    HM Prison Woodhill
    Bella The Labrador Bronze Award for Sculpture
    2019

  • A skyline made of red and white paper and carboard of a Polish city by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Young Offenders Institution Swinfen Hall.

    City Scape of Poland
    HM Young Offenders Institution Swinfen Hall
    Hope Under 25s Special Award for Mixed Media
    2019

  • A painting of an elderly male prisoner cuffed to a shadow painted on black paper by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Littlehey.

    Old Men in Prison 1, 2, 3, 4.
    HM Prison Littlehey
    Bronze Award for Painting
    2019

  • A sandy path with plants and shrubbery either side by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Wakefield.

    Sandy Path
    HM Prison Wakefield
    Gavin Graham Bronze Award for Pastel
    2019

  • Three people sat on a bench with a dog at their feet and a red bag by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison & Young Offenders Institution Low Newton.

    A Moment in Time
    HM Prison & Young Offenders Institution Low Newton
    First-Time Entrant Award for Watercolour and Gouache
    2019

  • Spinning sculpture with five scenes about a prisoner's life made by a Koestler Awards entrant at HM Prison Dartmoor.

    Revolving Story of a Prisoner's Life
    HM Prison Dartmoor
    Gold Award for Sculpture
    2019

  • A painted ceramic piece of a woman titled 'My sister' by a Koestler Awards entrant from HM Prison Dumfries.

    My Sister
    HM Prison Dumfries
    Pat & Bill Gordon Silver Award for Ceramics
    2019

  • Two Dogs

    Two Dogs
    River House Medium Secure Unit (secure mental health unit)
    Gold Award for Painting
    2018

  • Breakfast Plate

    Breakfast Plate
    Northgate Hospital
    Silver Award for Ceramics
    2018

  • Morning Dew

    Morning Dew
    HM Prison Glenochil
    Silver Award for Painting
    2018

  • Bird

    Bird
    Broadland Clinic (secure mental health unit)
    Platinum Award for Drawing
    2018

  • Sand Dunes

    Sand Dunes
    River House Medium Secure Unit (secure mental health unit)
    Highly Commended Award for Painting
    2018

  • Air Punch

    Air Punch
    HM Prison Maidstone
    Platinum Award for Sculpture
    2018

  • Trapped

    Trapped
    HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Parc
    Gold Award for Ceramics
    2018

  • They May Have My Body But… They Will Never Have My Mind

    They May Have My Body But... They Will Never Have My Mind
    Stirling Council Criminal Justice Social Work Service
    John Crockett Highly Commended Award for Painting
    2018

  • Biff and Boff

    Biff and Boff
    HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Parc
    Gold Award for Ceramics
    2018

  • Little Big Men

    Little Big Men
    HM Prison Leeds
    Iredale First-Time Entrant Award for Painting
    2018

  • Lost in Space

    Lost in Space
    HM Prison Wakefield
    First-Time Entrant Award for Mixed Media
    2018

  • Circling

    Circling
    HM Prison Lowdham Grange
    Bronze Award for Drawing
    2018

  • Always on My Mind

    Always on My Mind
    HM Prison Full Sutton
    Good-Sothinathan Commended Award for Portrait
    2018

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    Rab-Donk-Cat-Dog
    HM Prison Lowdham Grange
    Bronze Award for Sculpture
    2018

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    Elizabeth
    HM Young Offender Institution Cookham Wood
    Lord Ramsbotham Under 18s Special Award for Mixed Media
    2017

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    Pop Arty Brush Stroke
    HM Prison & Young Offender Institution Stoke Heath
    Long Family Commended Award for Painting
    2017

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    Look Through My Window
    HM Prison Glenochil
    Patrick Holmes Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache
    2017

  • 17K4373 thumb

    Yellow Man
    Fromeside Clinic
    Platinum Award for Sculpture
    2017

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    Girl, Fox and Duck
    HM Young Offender Institution Cookham Wood
    G & J Charitable Trust Under 18s Special Award
    2017

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    Dogs Life Inside
    HM Prison Dovegate
    Grayson Perry Highly Commended Award for Ceramics
    2017

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    New York Jungle
    Northgate Hospital
    Criminal Bar Association Platinum Award for Painting
    2017

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    Inside
    HM Prison Stafford
    Commended Award for Painting
    2017

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    Them On That
    HM Prison Dovegate
    Lamb Building Chambers Commended Award
    2016

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    Time
    HM Prison Littlehey
    Drawing
    2016

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    Pingu
    HM Prison Dovegate
    First-Time Entrant Award for Ceramics
    2016

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    Life Drawing
    HMPYOI Styal
    Maggi Hambling Commended Award for Mixed Media
    2016

  • North Sea Camp Visitors Centre, HMP North Sea Camp, Evelyn Plesch Platinum Award for Painting 2015

    North Sea Camp Visitors Centre
    HMP North Sea Camp
    Evelyn Plesch Platinum Award for Painting
    2015

  • Dragon, HMP Whatton, Space Station Sixty-Five Platinum Award for Matchstick & Mixed Media Models 2015

    Dragon
    HMP Whatton, Space Station Sixty-Five Platinum Award for Matchstick & Mixed Media Models 2015

  • Scottie, The Priory Hospital Middleton St George, Partnerships in Care Platinum Award for Sculpture 2015

    Scottie
    The Priory Hospital Middleton St George, Partnerships in Care Platinum Award for Sculpture 2015

  • Lump of Fortitude, HMP Dovegate, Chris Bramble Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

    Lump of Fortitude
    HMP Dovegate, Chris Bramble Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

  • Slice of Pavlova, HMYOC Hydebank Wood, The Lamberth Family Gold Award for Sculpture 2015

    Slice of Pavlova
    HMYOC Hydebank Wood, The Lamberth Family Gold Award for Sculpture 2015

  • Paranoid Coat with Shark, HMP Dovegate, Sarah Lucas Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

    Paranoid Coat with Shark
    HMP Dovegate, Sarah Lucas Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

  • Rag Forest, HMP Lewes, Gold Award for Mixed Media 2015

    Rag Forest
    HMP Lewes, Gold Award for Mixed Media 2015

  • The Curious Otter, HMP Full Sutton, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015

    The Curious Otter
    HMP Full Sutton, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015

  • 150 Years of Broadmoor, Broadmoor Hospital, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

    150 Years of Broadmoor
    Broadmoor Hospital, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

  • 1314 - Towards Bannockburn from My Cell, HMP Glenochil, Babette Galberg Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

    1314 - Towards Bannockburn from My Cell
    HMP Glenochil, Babette Galberg Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

  • Click-Clack, Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

    Click-Clack
    Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

  • The Writing's on the Wall, HMP Cookham Wood, Greater London Area NADFAS Young People's Gold Award for Painting 2015

    The Writing's on the Wall
    HMP Cookham Wood, Greater London Area NADFAS Young People's Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Highway to Heaven, Holywell Hospital, Northern Trust, Platinum Award for Photography 2015

    Highway to Heaven
    Holywell Hospital, Northern Trust, Platinum Award for Photography 2015

  • Duo-Form Abstraction, Northgate Hospital, Gold Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

    Duo-Form Abstraction
    Northgate Hospital, Gold Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

  • Hewers and Marras, Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Mixed Media 2015

    Hewers and Marras
    Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Mixed Media 2015

  • Doodle Gone Mad, HMP Peterborough, The Criminal Bar Association Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

    Doodle Gone Mad
    HMP Peterborough, The Criminal Bar Association Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

  • Paper Moon, Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

    Paper Moon
    Northgate Hospital, Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

  • Family and Friends, Kemple View, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

    Family and Friends
    Kemple View, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

  • Home Again, Caswell Clinic, Platinum Award for Painting 2015

    Home Again
    Caswell Clinic, Platinum Award for Painting 2015

  • Self-harm: The Past, HMP Frankland, Platinum Award for Painting 2015

    Self-harm: The Past
    HMP Frankland, Platinum Award for Painting 2015

  • Hovering on a Cloud of Blue, North Wales Probation Office, Keith Bromley Platinum Award for Nature Photography 2015

    Hovering on a Cloud of Blue
    North Wales Probation Office, Keith Bromley Platinum Award for Nature Photography 2015

  • Bungee, Brook House IRC, Gold Award for Painting 2015

    Bungee
    Brook House IRC, Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Locked-in Syndrome, HMP Isle of Wight (Albany), Gold Award for Painting 2015

    Locked-in Syndrome
    HMP Isle of Wight (Albany), Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Sitting Lady, HMYOI Portland, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

    Sitting Lady
    HMYOI Portland, Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

  • Untitled, Ashworth High Secure Hospital, Sir Stephen & Lady Winifred Tumim Gold Award for Painting 2015

    Untitled
    Ashworth High Secure Hospital, Sir Stephen & Lady Winifred Tumim Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Fairy Tree, HMP & YOI Holloway, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015

    Fairy Tree
    HMP & YOI Holloway, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015

  • Bicycle, HMP Lewes, Gold Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

    Bicycle
    HMP Lewes, Gold Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

  • Yorkshire Church, HMP Dumfries, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

    Yorkshire Church
    HMP Dumfries, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

  • Caution: Jackson at Work, HMP Full Sutton, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

    Caution: Jackson at Work
    HMP Full Sutton, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

  • Morning Has Broken/Rise and Shine, HMP & YOI Holloway, Gold Award for Painting 2015

    Morning Has Broken/Rise and Shine
    HMP & YOI Holloway, Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Coke Head Kate, HMP Whitemoor, Gold Award for Mixed Media 2015

    Coke Head Kate
    HMP Whitemoor, Gold Award for Mixed Media 2015

  • The I.P.P. Scream, HMP & YOI Norwich, Gold Award for Painting 2015

    The I.P.P. Scream
    HMP & YOI Norwich, Gold Award for Painting 2015

  • Colourfield Book, Northgate Hospital, Ariane Bankes Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

    Colourfield Book
    Northgate Hospital, Ariane Bankes Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache 2015

  • Detox 'The Fear', HMP Bronzefield, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

    Detox 'The Fear'
    HMP Bronzefield, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

  • Metamorphosis and Parasites, HMP Bronzefield, David Wentworth Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

    Metamorphosis and Parasites
    HMP Bronzefield, David Wentworth Platinum Award for Drawing 2015

  • Lambretta, Broadmoor Hospital, Platinum Award for Sculpture 2015

    Lambretta
    Broadmoor Hospital, Platinum Award for Sculpture 2015

  • Final Journey, Ashworth High Secure Hospital, Shearman Bowen Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

    Final Journey
    Ashworth High Secure Hospital, Shearman Bowen Platinum Award for Ceramics 2015

  • Behind the Fence, HMP Wymott, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

    Behind the Fence
    HMP Wymott, Gold Award for Drawing 2015

  • 3D Pyramid Picture Frames, HMP Frankland, Gold Award for Matchstick & Mixed Media Models 2015

    3D Pyramid Picture Frames
    HMP Frankland, Gold Award for Matchstick & Mixed Media Models 2015

  • Seahorse Pot, HMP Pentonville, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015

    Seahorse Pot
    HMP Pentonville, Gold Award for Ceramics 2015