UWE Bristol Fine Art graduate wins prestigious painting prize

A recent UWE Bristol Fine Art graduate has won the highly prestigious Freelands Painting Prize 2026.

Charli-Ann Padilla’s painting was chosen from a shortlist of 12 undergraduate student artists from UK art schools and universities by an independent panel of artists. Her painting will now be exhibited at the Freelands Foundation’s gallery in London from 7 – 31 October 2026, as well winning £1,000 worth of materials to support the development of her practice.

The Freelands Painting Prize, organised by the Freelands Foundation and launched in 2020, is an annual celebration of exceptional painting talent from art schools and universities across the UK.

After winning the Prize, Charli-Ann said: “Through enriching myself in the surreal world that lives inside of my imagination, where conversations with paint exist and there are no walls or exits to be seen, I have been freed from the gates of the simulacral world images lie within. I now birth shapes and figures through feeling, not reference. With ‘Vanilla flavoured coke’, I used the actions of making a cake as my drive, detaching myself from what I know cake looks like, and relying on taste and hunger.

“I’m so honoured that the Freelands Foundation, the amazing judges, and UWE Bristol have chosen me for this prize, and invested their time to explore my mind in all its icing and messiness.”

Charli-Ann was also recently named one of UWE Bristol and Spike Island’s Graduate Fellows, awarded to promising emerging artists giving them access to a shared studio at Spike Island for a year, providing them with space and support to develop their professional practices within Bristol’s vibrant artistic community.

Dr Kit Poulson, senior lecturer in Fine Art who nominated Charli-Ann said: “For Charli to be recognised by the Freelands Foundation is a fitting reward for her incredible dedication and hard work. Her approach to painting is an aspect of her irrepressible energy, an immediate and joyful connection to the medium and its constant reinvention.”

Charli-Ann will also be speaking and exhibiting her work as part of Spike Island’s Night of the Fellows on 22 October.