A new national arts prize is set to transform Hogarth’s House in Chiswick into a showcase for contemporary creativity.
Hounslow Council has today announced the launch of The Hogarth Prize – a major new open-call award inviting artists from across the UK to exhibit at the former home of William Hogarth, the celebrated 18th-century painter and satirist. It is the first prize of its kind to be launched by a London council.
Delivered in partnership with leading arts agency Parker Harris, the initiative aims to position Hogarth’s House not only as a heritage site, but as a living platform for modern artistic voices.
A national stage for contemporary work
Open to amateur, emerging and established artists aged 18 and over, the prize welcomes submissions in any medium, provided the work can be wall-mounted. There is no prescribed theme. Instead, entrants are encouraged to demonstrate technical excellence, originality and a contemporary response to Hogarth’s spirit – bold, observant and unafraid to comment on the world around them.
Around 80 works will be shortlisted and exhibited at Hogarth’s House from 28 July to 6 September.
A high-profile judging panel – including gallerist and artist Robyn Graham, visual artist Hero Johnson RP and artist-coordinator Steven King – will oversee the inaugural award.
The overall winner will receive £3,000 and a six-week solo exhibition at Hogarth’s House in 2027. A Visitors’ Choice Award of £500 will also be presented in the final week of the show.
Entry fees have been set at £16 for one submission or £24 for two, in a bid to keep the prize accessible to artists at all stages of their careers.
Building a cultural legacy
Hogarth’s House, managed by Hounslow Council, holds the largest public display of William Hogarth’s work in the UK. The new prize signals a deliberate shift: using heritage not as a static backdrop, but as a catalyst for new work.
Cllr Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces at Hounslow Council, said the initiative is rooted in Hogarth’s own belief in art as performance and commentary.
‘My picture is my stage,’ William Hogarth once wrote. Now, in honour of his legacy, of which we are proud custodians through Hogarth’s House, we are giving a stage to artists from across the UK through this new prize.
“It is my hope that the Hogarth Prize will nurture talent nationwide and give artists a major new platform to showcase their work, establishing Hounslow as a place that treasures art and champions creative works.
“We see this prize growing year after year, with the Hogarth Prize standing proudly alongside the Turner Prize and the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, in years to come.”
Engaging the next generation
Alongside the main award, a dedicated Schools Exhibition will invite pupils from across Hounslow to submit postcard-sized artworks. These will be displayed at Hogarth’s House for a month ahead of the finalists’ exhibition, embedding young creativity at the heart of the project.
The Hogarth Prize forms part of the council’s wider Culture Strategy, which aims to expand access to the arts, activate heritage spaces and position Hounslow as a borough that invests in creative opportunity.
