The Month of Art 2026 was a great success. We really hope if you visited that you enjoyed it as much as we did. Congratulations to our winners:
First Place: Roger Allen 'The Picnic Party Hopton Hall' Oil on canvas.
Second Place: Marie South 'July Leaves' Eco Print on Satin.
Third Place: Colin Halliday 'Hopton Hall Gardens' Oil on Canvas.
What began as a small competition has become one of the highlights of the year, growing in scale, ambition and community spirit with each passing event.
In our very first year, we welcomed just a handful of entries, with artists painting in the Rose Gardens over a couple of days. The winning works were selected by Hopton Hall staff alongside owners Chris and Andi Harvey, laying the foundations for what has become a truly special celebration of art.
The following year built on that success, with competition entries exhibited in the garage building (now home to the café) giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy an even wider range of artwork. By the third year, the competition had expanded to 75 entries, and artist gazebos were introduced, creating a vibrant atmosphere where visitors could watch live demonstrations, meet artists and experience the creative process first-hand.
This year marked our biggest and most ambitious event yet. Bringing together the very best elements from previous years, we introduced more robust wooden exhibition cabins alongside exhibiting the competition entries of 125 artists in the corridors of the hall itself. More than 500 artists joined us to paint, exhibit and sell their work, while over 20 regional art organisations made the event their home during open days, each bringing their own exhibitions, demonstrations and creative activities.
The event has become far more than a competition; it is a celebration of creativity, artist groups,clubs and societies and the incredible artistic talent found across our region. As we look to the future, we are excited to continue growing, welcoming even more artists and visitors, and ensuring that art remains something everyone can enjoy, experience and take part in, while providing a platform for some of the region's finest creative talent.
Please stay in touch with news from the Hopton Hall Estate and Hopton Hall Gallery, you can follow us here: Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to the gallery YouTube Channel And if you haven’t already, please do sign up for our quarterly newsletter (the sign-up link is in the footer of the website) be the first to hear about upcoming events like the Month of Art happenings at the gallery and our Snowdrop Walk in February.
