Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
Since its foundation in 1831...
the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours has promoted the essentially English art of watercolour.
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours was formed to exhibit the finest watercolours and to show non-members’ works alongside that of members, a policy still followed today.
The RI showcases a range of styles and techniques, from traditional uses of the medium to more experimental and innovative paintings produced by members of the RI and non-member artists alike. These include many young painters who are encouraged to submit their work using water-soluble media.
The RI is proud to have His Royal Highness King Charles III as Patron as well as an Honorary Member.
President
Juliette Losq was elected President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 2025.
Call for Entries
Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the annual RI Exhibition.
Several prizes and awards are available to win.
Prizes & Awards
The Winsor & Newton Award
Winners
2026: Maciej Urbanek, Silver Tide
2025: Graham Dean, Touch
2024: Richard Anthony Elliott, Louvre Staircase
2023: Julie Green, High Summer: Dappled Shade
2022: Sheila Vaughan, Girl Holding up the Sky
2021: Teresa Lawler
2020: George Butler, Delhi Market
2019: Tianya Zhou RI, Tibetan Ama
2018: Mark Elsmore, Multi-Storey
The Winsor & Newton Product Prize
Winners
2026: Nick May, Luca
2025: Amie Bolissian, Airmen's Roots
2024: Martha Zmpounou RI, Orange Face Study
2023: Nick Gear, Undercurrent (Lines of Thought)
2022: Nicholas Middleton, Deep Level Tube Station Entrance (IV)
2021: Rika Newcombe, Green Stylus No.1
2020: Day Bowman, Storage Facility 2
2019: Felipe Chavez, Building a Stalker
2018: Julie Green, Tangled Tide
The David Barker Award
Winners
2026: Mari French RI, Meditations on a Place; Morven Stewart, Storm Floris IV, Isle of Harris
The Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle Prize
Winners
2026: Delia Cardnell RI, Oliena; Thomas Mairs, The Dove
The West Dean Prize
Winners
2026: Louise Adams, The Glowing Beech
The West Dean Bloomsbury Prize
Winners
2026: Nina Tans, Lunga Bladderwrack
The Baohong Artists' Watercolour Paper Prizes
Winners
2026: Hannah Woodman RI, Canal at Night, East London; Madeleine De Angelis, Standing Tall
2025: Deborah Walker RI RSMA, Quiver of Expectation; Stephen Redpath, When the Wind Picked Up
2024: Naomi Tydeman RI, Sailing off Rickets Head; Anne Lynch, Museum of Travels
2023: Steven Allan Griffiths RI, The Knowledge of Silence; Darrell Warner, Crucifixion
2022: Martin Caulkin RI, The Gate of One Hundred Sorrows; David Walker, Disengaged
2021: Ian Sidaway RI, The Bow River; Sarah Granville, Plot 66
2020: Lillias August RI, Tied Up in Knots; Juliette Losq, Aisle
2019: Harry Price RI, Medieval Fishpond, Baddesley Clinton; Juliette Losq, Corpus
The Cass Art Colour Award
Winners
2026: Ann Blockley RI, Shining Sea and Tangled Hawthorn
2025: Paul Gadenne, Hillbrow, Johannesburg
2024: Monica Vitorino, MMXXIII Poses IX
2023: Sue Bridge, Summer, Land, Sea
2022: Catherine MacDiarmid
2021: Carol Ryder, Gold Stripe 2021
2020: Martha Zmpounou, Christian
2019: Zi Ling, Bridge
2018: Sarah Wimperis, One Hundred to One from The Shard
2017: Nigel Priddey, North Hill, Malvern
2016: Bob Rudd RI, Trebarwith, North Cornwall
The Chaoshan Watercolour Award
Winners
2026: Mary Anne Aytoun Ellis, February, Ancient Limes
2025: Olga Cannon-Brookes, Borough Market Fruit Stall
2024: Claire Harkess, Memory of a Riverbank
2023: Harsh Agrawal, En Route
2022: Paul Talbot-Greaves, Winter up on the Moor Edge
2021: Louise Saward, Scarborough Beach
2020: Tianya Zhou RI, Prayers
2019: Pauline Fazakerley RI, The Old Booking Hall
The Debra Manifold RI Memorial Award
Winners
2026: Tracy Love, Sunshine in a Vase
2025: Kate Bentley RI, Abundance
2024: Alison Dickson, Honesty & Persimmons
2023: Brian Robinson
2022: Teresa Lawler RI, Distant City - Sheltering Cove
2021: Delia Cardnell RI, Horizon
2020: Lisa Graa Jensen RI, Deep Midwinter
2019: Gary Denny, Celt
2018: Tianya Zhou, Tibetan Old Amah
2017: Claire Sparkes, Threads
2016: Naomi Tydeman RI, Lavender Sky; Naomi Tydeman RI, Moon Showers
2015: Richard Plincke RI, Come Helen, Come Bring Me My Soul Again
2014: Jean Robinson RI, Low Tide, Summer
2013: Anne McCormack RI, Piano Bar
Presented by the Linda Blackstone Gallery
The Dry Red Press Award
Winners
2026: Tracy Love, Sunshine in a Vase
2025: Julie Cross, Sunstruck
2024: Nuria Riera, Spanish Greyhound
2023: Sian Thomas, To The Point
2022: Tracy Reeves, Forest Cyclists
2021: Adam De Ville, Eighty Two Rounds, One Knock Out
2020: Desmond Clark, Kid in a Sweetshop
2019: Julia Trickey, The Last Rose
2018: Mike Bernard RI, The Angel + Crown
2017: Lillias August RI, Four Palette Knives
2016: Janet Skea RI, Naughty Puss!
2015: Lisa Graa Jensen RI, Hide & Seek
The Escoda Barcelona Award
Winners
2026: Fujiko Rose, Flowers from the Grave
2025: Felicity Flutter RI, Touches of Sunlight
2024: Kate Morgan RI, Moonlight Serenade
2023: Samuel Dominiquez
2022: Mark Elsmore RI, Playlist
2021: Roger Dellar RI PS ROI, Hanging Out the Washing
2020: Brendan Smith, Sunset, Ventnor
2019: Lillias August RI, Empty Nests
2018: Clare Maria Wood, Windstorm III
2017: Robin Hazlewood RI, That Line of Turquoise Blue, Evening, Camber
2016: Ann Kilvington, Evening Light, Paddy’s Gole SG
2015: Deborah Walker RI, Detail
2014: Simon Hodges, Symonds Yat
The Frank Herring Easel Award
Winners
2026: Mike Salt, The Roaches
2025: Jenny Blount, Birds Roosting
2024: Alex Chilvers, Nanna & Grandad's House
2023: Gary Cook RI, Antarctica: Cold but Warm
2022: Varsha Bhatia RI, West Door, York Minster
2021: Kimberley Walker, Out of the Blue
2020: Alex Chilvers, London Fields Lido
2019: Yellon Ran Huang, The City You and I Live In - 2A
2018: Zi Ling, King Lear
2017: Mark Elsmore, Walkway, King's Cross
2016: Geoffrey Wynne RI, Greek Sketches Syros
2015: Christopher Forsey RI, Puss in Souk
2014: David A Parfitt RI, Sat on the Path
2013: Paul Banning RI RSMA
The James Fletcher-Watson RI Award
Winners
2026: Srirangam Mohankumar RSMA, Sailing Into the Light
2025: Ann Blockley RI, Woodland Blues
2024: Yuesen Lin, Tibet Plateau
2023: David A Parfitt RI, Blue Summer
2022: Andy Lee, Ventimiglia Old Town
2021: Brian Smith RI, Ernie's Beach
2020: David Howell PPRSMA, The Ghats at Udaipur
2019: Geoffrey Wynne RI, Revolution in the Academy
2018: Martin Caulkin RI, Tumbledown Monastic
2017: Julian Bray, Welbeck Terrace
The John Purcell Paper Prize
Winners
2026: Alice Zakharenko, Down the Rabbit Hole We Go
2025: Ajuna Gunarathne, Hampstead Heath
2024: Miranda Brookes, Winter Birches in the Brambles
2023: Marco Fazzini, Rolling Down
2022: Mark Elsmore RI, Fabrication Yard
2021: Iman Howard, Inside
2020: Faye Bridgwater, 140 Monochrome Studies of Sussex
2019: John Wiltshire, Us and You with a Ring of Salt
2018: Diana Boanas, Wedding Glow
2017: Richard Thorn, Autumn Chiaroscuro
2016: Brian Robinson, One Careful Owner
2015: Filipe Miguel das Dores, Mario Night
2014: Robert Cunnew, The Stade, Hastings
The Megan Fitzoliver Brush Award
Winners
2026: Chris Myers RBA PPRI, Flight of the Bumble Bee. Damblainville
2025: Naomi Tydeman RI, After the Storm
2024: Juliette Losq RI, Equilibrium
2023: David A Parfitt RI, Dancing Leaves
2022: Colin Allbrook RI RSMA, Amongst the Weeds
2021: Ann Blockley RI, Gorse
2020: Deborah Walker RI RSMA, Be Still
2019: Lillias August RI, Empty Nests
2018: Harry Price RI, Below the Falls
2017: Paul Banning RI RSMA, Winter Light, Queens View, Ewshot
The Michael Harding Award
Winners
2026: Vicente Garcia Fuentes RI, Akureyri L
2025: Richard Thorn RI, No Hurry
2024: Miranda Brookes, Bullrushes and Trees
2023: Brian Smith RI, Rendezvous
The President's Choice Award
Winners
2026: Jack Candy-Kemp, I'm Still in Love with Phoebe Cates
2025: Amie Bolissian, Into the Chalk Pit
2024: Nuria Riera, Spanish Greyhound
2023: Jenny Ross, Dreams of Earth
2022: Zi Ling RI
2021: Jack Haslam, Someone Everyone
2020: Lucy Pulvers, Self-Portrait 1
The RI Young Artist Award sponsored by Daler-Rowney
Winners
2026: Zifan Sun, White Tree
2025: Linh-Huyen Vi, Purple Chrysanthemums
2024: Emma Rach-Syslak, Mokosh
The Richard Plincke RI Prize for Colour
Winners
2026: Stephen Redpath, Cacophony
2025: Kate Bentley RI, Abundance
2024: Delia Cardnell RI, Heather
2023: Ian Cook RI, Figure 5
2022: Jean Robinson RI, Water's Edge
2021: Zi Ling RI, Dancer No.87
2020: Paul Murray, Winter Memorials
2019: Delia Cardnell RI, Evening Light
The Schmincke Prize
Winners
2026: Jack Haslam, Sing Your Song
2025: Brendan Smith RI, Brighton Sunset
2024: Carol Harvey, Pigment Bank
2023: Nuria Riera, Cabinet
2022: Steven Allan Griffiths RI, The Ghost of Before
2021: Brendan Smith, London Sunrise
2020: Emma Hollaway, Found Paintings 2.1
2019: Paul Murray, Hillside Thaw
2018: Keith Hornblower, Bangkok Building Site
2017: Martin Caulkin RI, One Samuel Sixteen, Verse Seven
2016: Richard Thorn, Noon in the Olive Grove (Portugal)
2015: Varsha Bhatia, Entrance, Natural History Museum
2014: Sarah Wood, Croscosmia with Raindrops
The Trevor C Hart Memorial Award
Winners
2026: Deborah Walker RI RSMA, Wavering Imitation
