Applications are invited for the Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award 2026
The Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award is a purchase grant to enable a museum or gallery to acquire an original print or prints for their collection.
The Award aims not only to enhance art collections across the country, but also to build relationships between museum curators and the art market.
Applications are invited from museums, public galleries and print collections across the UK. Hallett Independent, who are generously funding the Award, are brokers specialising in fine art and heritage insurance, committed to supporting museums throughout the country.
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The 2026 Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award
- The winning applicant will receive a sum of £8,000 to spend at the London Original Print Fair, 14-17 May 2026, on a print or prints.
- Applications should be submitted to the London Original Print Fair by Monday 27 April. A shortlist of 3 institutions will be selected and notified by Tuesday 5 May. A representative from each of these institutions will be invited to the opening of LOPF on Wednesday 13 May. LOPF will cover the costs of a night in a central London hotel for the evening of Wednesday 13 May for the 3 curators from shortlisted institutions. The winner of the Award will be announced at the start of the opening reception.
- The winning applicant will agree to send a representative to the opening reception of the London Original Print Fair at Somerset House on Wednesday 13 May 2026, with authority to make the acquisition on behalf of the institution before the Fair closes at 5pm on Sunday, 17 May 2026.
- The winning applicant will notify LOPF of their acquisition by the close of the Fair at 5pm on Sunday, 17 May 2026. The museum and acquisition will be publicised in press releases, on the LOPF and Hallett Independent Insurance websites and other promotional materials.
- The winning applicant will credit The Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award as the source of funding for the acquisition, wherever it is mentioned or exhibited.
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How to Apply
APPLY HERE
Museums and galleries are invited to apply by filling in the application form by 5pm, Monday 27 April 2026.
On your application, please briefly outline the following:
- The role that prints already play in the collection
- How or why you would like to expand your print holdings
- What difference this would make to the organisation
- What print acquisitions you are looking for and why, mentioning any specific project if appropriate, for example inclusion in a forthcoming exhibition
- Any information you can give about previous experience at the print fair or any dealings with specific exhibitors will be of interest
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Previous Winners
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Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth
2025Sarah Newman from Russell-Cotes accepting the 2025 Award at the opening of the London Original Print Fair from Elena Carofyllakis of Hallett Independent Insurance. She chose a lithograph by Eric Ravilious from his famous Submarine Series.
"Top of my list was a Ravilious and it was quite literally the first print that I saw. (it must have been a sign). It will go on display in our upcoming exhibition of Artist as Witness: Impact of War in the autumn. And fill a significant gap in our collection. We are over the moon."
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Holburne Museum, Bath
2019The museum’s application and subsequent selection marks a significant moment in the Holburne’s history as it seeks to build a contemporary collection which will enhance its world renowned display of historic treasures. Director of Holburne Museum Chris Stephens was presented the cheque at the opening of the 34th London Original Print Fair on Wednesday 24th April 2019.
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Imperial Health Charity
2018Imperial Health Charity is the only hospital art collection with a fully accredited museum and designated programme of exhibitions. The collection provides art for Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and The Western Eye hospitals. It uses art as a means to engage with patients and staff through its collection of 2,000 artworks, which play a crucial part in creating a warmer, more welcoming environment. Artists already in the collection included Patrick Caulfield, Julian Opie, Bridget Riley, Anish Kapoor, Bruce Maclean and Richard Long.
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Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
2017Rob Airey, Keeper of Art at the Hatton Gallery, intended to use the prize to buy one key print for the collection, but having seen the huge variety on offer he felt that the award could stimulate the growth of the collection in different areas. Careful selection and generous support from the exhibiting galleries meant the Hatton Gallery was able to purchase 14 significant works for its collection, which is a significant research resource for students and staff at the University as well as an important component of many of their public exhibitions.
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The Atkinson, Southport
2016The first winner of the Hallett Independent Acquisitions Awards was The Atkinson, Southport, who sent Gallery Manager Jane Brown to choose 12 Objects, 12 Etchings (2010), a portfolio of prints by Rachel Whiteread from Paragon Press. The portfolio functions like a permanent index to Whiteread’s collection, and the mixture of objects ranges from instantly recognizable and mundane items, such as a jelly mould and a light switch, to the weird, wonderful and outright unidentifiable.
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