Home » Initiatives » Sketch for Survival » Sketch for Survival Junior » Sketch for Survival Junior Finalists 2026

The Sketch for Survival Junior competition continues to grow, and once again we’ve been hugely impressed by the creativity, imagination and talent of our young artists.

This year, we invited artists, particularly those in the older age groups, to tell us a little more about their inspiration and the reference material they used. This is something we’ve noticed changing over the years, with an ever-growing range of images and resources now available online. We really enjoyed seeing reference photos alongside descriptions and explanations of what inspired each artwork – thank you to everyone who shared these with us.

Entries were judged across three age categories – 7 & Under, 8–11 and 12–16 – giving our youngest artists their own dedicated category.

A huge well done to all our finalists and massive thanks to our selection panel, led by Sophie Green. Their artworks will be exhibited at the Crypt Gallery, Norwich, from 1–3 October, and the Oxo Gallery, London, from 18–22 November, before being sold via our online auction in aid of the Campaign Fund, concluding on 22 November.

All finalists also go forward to the Leisure Painter and The Artist magazines’ Sketch for Survival Junior People’s Choice Award – have your say and vote for your favourite!

Artwork at top: Avicenna Virgianto

Artwork to left: Iyla Mandair

 

 

7 & UNDER AGE GROUP

Many congratulations to our 7 & Under finalists.

We’ve loved seeing the creativity, colour and enthusiasm the youngest artists have brought to Sketch for Survival.

Our three finalists come from England, Japan and Malaysia, showing that you’re never too young, or too far away,  to use art to celebrate wildlife and to help raise awareness for conservation.

8-11 AGE GROUP

Congratulations to our four finalists in the 8–11 category.

This year’s finalists include an eight year old, two 10-year-olds and two 11-year-olds, with young artists from Thailand, North Macedonia, Japan and the UK.

The final five impressed our selection panel with their creativity, observation and skill, and showcase very different approaches to depicting the natural world.

 

12-16 AGE GROUP

Congratulations to our finalists in the 12–16 category.

This was an exceptionally strong category this year, and the selection panel was so impressed by the overall standard and creativity that we decided to put more finalists through in this final age group to reflect the quality of the entries.

Our finalists span the full age range, from 12 to 16, and represent six nationalities – Canada, England, South Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The final selection showcases an impressive range of styles, subjects, ideas and techniques, and some remarkable young artistic talent. We were also impressed that many of the artists shared photos and descriptions of their inspiration and technique.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Below you’ll find a gallery of this year’s Highly Commended artworks – a huge well done to all the young artists, and thank you for supporting Sketch for Survival Junior.

Highly Commended Junior artworks will be available to purchase from 1 October, in support of our Campaign Fund, through our pop-up stores at events and exhibitions this autumn and from our online store.

All Junior artworks are priced at £25 + shipping and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Certificates of Participation and logos were emailed to finalists and Highly Commended artists on 3 September, using the email address registered with the entry. If you haven’t received yours, please check your spam or junk folder before contacting us, as it may have been filtered there. Thank you.

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