Charli-Ann Padilla, a recent graduate from UWE Bristol, has won the highly prestigious Freelands Painting Prize 2026. Her painting was selected from a shortlist of 12 undergraduate student artists from UK art schools and universities by an independent panel of artists.
The winning artwork will be exhibited at the Freelands Foundation gallery in London from 7 – 31 October 2026. Ms Padilla also receives £1,000 worth of materials to support her artistic practice. The Freelands Painting Prize, organised annually by the Freelands Foundation since 2020, celebrates exceptional painting talent across the UK.
Reflecting on her win, Ms Padilla described her artistic process: “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.”
She added: “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.”
Ms Padilla was also recently named one of UWE Bristol and Spike Island’s Graduate Fellows. This award grants access to a shared studio at Spike Island for a year, offering support to develop her professional practice within Bristol’s artistic community.
Dr Kit Poulson, senior lecturer in Fine Art at UWE Bristol, who nominated Ms Padilla, commented: “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.”
Ms Padilla will also be speaking and exhibiting her work at Spike Island’s Night of the Fellows event on 22 October.
