The RSA Schools Art Award has been celebrating student creativity in Scotland since 1986, and this year’s online exhibition is now live!
We received submissions from young people across the country, and our judges had some very tough decisions to make. We’re delighted to announce 35 students and three inspiration art departments have all been awarded prizes.
Last week, the winning students, their families and teachers were welcomed to Brodies’ Edinburgh headquarters for a special award ceremony. Speeches from Gareth Fisher PRSA and Brodies Chair Iain Rutherford opened the event, followed by a presentation of certificates to each of the winners.
Hina Hishii Loureiro from George Heriot’s School received first place in the intermediate category for her still life work based on a Japanese tabletop arrangement. She said: ‘I focused on capturing the shapes, textures, and relationships between the objects while trying to reflect the delicacy and craftsmanship often found in Japanese art and design. It is an honour to receive this award, and I am very grateful for the recognition and encouragement it gives me to continue developing my skills and passion for art.’
The Brodies Regional Awards grant prizes to students based outside of the central belt, and first place for the northeast went to Elena Geddes: ‘After hearing the good response from the competition, I felt ecstatic, shocked, and appreciative for such an opportunity to have my art recognised. Overall, from this competition I hope to take away a remembrance of the self-development, chances, and patience that creativity fosters.’ We’re delighted to hear how proud Elena is, and look forward to seeing how her creative journey develops!
Gemma Kelly from Holy Cross High School’s work was inspired by a visit to an art gallery. ‘I was inspired to create a part-statue, part-living portrait of Flora the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. I felt it would be interesting to think about the figure beneath the statue and used acrylic paint to combine the two sides of the portrait.’ Gemma received third place in the senior category.
Each year we also welcome submissions to the Chair’s Challenge, which invites senior students to respond to a prompt. For 2026, we’re focusing on ‘The Art of the Future’. Chester Yik from Merchiston Castle School was awarded first place for his work that explores his experience of moving from Hong Kong to Edinburgh: ‘I combined different forms and perspectives to create my vision of how Hong Kong may look in the future, shaped by constant changes, cultural intersections, and developments. Making this artwork has also inspired me that cities are not only shaped by structural buildings but also the journey, memories and stories of people who inhabit and interact with it. I am incredibly honoured to receive the RSA Chair’s Challenge Award and grateful that my work resonated with the judges.’
We’re delighted to share the 2026 RSA Schools Art Award exhibition, which is now live on our website. We’d like to congratulate all of this year’s winners, and extend our thanks to Brodies LLP who have supported the awards since 2016.
