AWARDS

Awards, trophies and prizes from the last Annual exhibition

2026 Annual Exhibition Trophies and Awards

Click on an award to display the award winner and highly commended paintings.

ACES HIGH ‘AVIATION PAINTING OF THE YEAR’ AWARD

for the best work at the Annual Exhibition depicting an aerospace subject in any hand-applied medium.

Awarded to: Henry Smith AGAvA for 193 'Wattisham Warrior'

 

 

THE PATRICIA FORREST AND THE LATE JON MOORE AWARD

for the Best Group of paintings by any artist at the Annual Exhibition.

Awarded to: Keith Burns GAvA for his group of six paintings: 18-23

Highly Commended:
Chris French FGAvA 83-85
Phil Hadley GAvA 91-95
Rob Hames GAvA 97-99
Andrew Guildford 87-90

THE de HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT MUSEUM AWARD

awarded to the most interesting portrayal, in any medium, of a de Havilland aircraft, military or civil, first manufactured between the years 1937 and 1962 inclusive.

Awarded to: Paul Couper GAvA for 63 'Vixen Launch'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
David Young GAvA 229 'Watching The Lights'
Andrew Latham VPGAvA 123 'Shuttleworth Study'
Trevor Colegate AGAvA 47 'Swallow Dives for the Barrier'

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM AWARD

for the best painting of an RAF subject from the last 30 years in Oils or Acrylic .

Awarded to: Neil Foggo GAvA for 80 'Practice makes Perfect'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Peter Maxwell AGAvA 148 'GR3 Strike
Paul Couper GAvA 62 'Tobogganing'
Graham Cooke VPGAvA 56 'Spotted'

THE LEONARDO HELICOPTERS ROTARY-WINGED FLIGHT TROPHY

for the best exhibit by any artist at the Annual Exhibition on the subject of rotary-winged flight.

Awarded to: Graham Cooke VPGAvA for 56 'Spotted'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Stephen Chard GAvA 40 'Salvation Lights'
Christopher Shaw 184 'Apache Study'
Heather Vernon 205 'Unshaken'

THE FLYPAST AWARD

for the best work depicting WW2 aircraft in any medium by any artists at the Annual Exhibition.

Awarded to: Dominic Berry 9 'Burmese Thunder'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Stephen Chard GAvA 41 'Convoy Guardians'

THE BONHAM TROPHY

for the Best Group of Paintings in any medium by a Friend of the Guild.

Awarded to: Gregory Smith for his group of four paintings: 187 - 190

Highly commended:
Andrew Guildford 87 - 90
Patrick Fleming 74 - 77
Steve Hennah 107 - 109

THE GREAT WAR AVIATION SOCIETY AWARD

for the ‘Best World War One Aviation Painting in Show’ and subscription to Cross & Cockade International’s Quarterly Journal.

Awarded to: Barry Barnes GAvA for 5 'Boys from the Ark Royal'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
David Stiling AGAvA 195 'A Moment To Reflect' and 198 'Just Another Day'
Matthew Grenter 86 'Held by Wires and Hope'

THE SIR GEORGE EDWARDS MEMORIAL PLATE

for the work which best depicts and reflects excellence and achievement in British Aviation.

Awarded to: Chris Draper GAvA for 66 'Schedar at Cosford'

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Robert Calow GAvA 35 'Twilight Camel'
Paul Couper GAvA 60 'So we came up to 20ft'
Laurence Hemming 105 'Walrus Sunset'

THE ALEX HENSHAW TROPHY

for the best painting by an Associate or Full Member in any medium exhibited at the Guild exhibition judged to best represent civil light aviation in the 1920s and 1930s.

Awarded to: David Fosh  AGAvA for 82 'Miles for the Cup'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Ken Farmer  GAvA 71 'Of a Gentler Age'
Ruth Jayne Lewis GAvA 141 'Avro Joyride'

THE ARTHUR GIBSON MEMORIAL TROPHY

for the best work by a Guild artist exhibiting in the Annual Exhibition for the first time.

Awarded to: Ian Smith for 194 'Little Flea, Big Dreams'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Steve Hennah 108 for 'Silver Tiger'
Matt Grenter 86 for 'Held by Wires and Hope'
Robert Kronenburg 117 for 'Bowland Forest Gliding'

THE CHARLES PETTIT TROPHY

for the best work demonstrating creativity and originality.

Awarded to: T D Centaur for 39 'Avro Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane'

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Derek Blois GAvA 15 'Biggles Flies Over'
Victoria West AGAvA 208 'Enter The Dragon'
Paul Warrener GAvA 206 'Tiger-Tiger'

THE PIONEER AWARD

for the best work in the “Pioneer Period” - 1853 up to August 1914 when WW1 started.

Awarded to: Gregory Smith for 187 'Around the Mark - Monaco 1914'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly Commended:
Patrick Fleming 77 'Sopwith Baby'
Martin Perman GAvA 165 'Sunset Triplane'
Robert Kronenburg 120 'Old Warden Fighter'
Andrew Latham VPGAvA 124 'The Dirty Dustbin'

The following trophies and awards are presented at the Annual General Meeting

THE FLIGHT TROPHY Presented to the winner of the ‘Aviation Painting of the Year’ award

THE JOHN BLAKE MEMORIAL AWARD For the best drawing by a Full Member, Associate or Friend. Given by Alison and Stratton Richey in memory of John Blake FGAvA.

THE MARGARET KAHN TROPHY AND £100 AWARD For the best gliding-related oil painting by Full Member, Associate or Friend. Sponsored by the late Walter Kahn MBE in memory of his wife, Margaret

THE WILKINSON SWORD POIGNARD For the best work in Oils by a Full Member or Associate.

THE HAWKER SIDDELEY TROPHY For the best work in Gouache by a Full Member or Associate.

THE JOE LATHAM WATERCOLOUR TROPHY For the best work in Watercolour by a Full Member or Associate. Presented to the Guild by the late Joe Latham GAvA.

THE POOLEY SWORD For the best work depicting Sporting Aviation by a Full Member or Associate.

THE QANTAS TROPHY For the best work in Other Media by a Full Member or Associate.

THE SBAC TROPHY For the most competent painting by a Friend.

THE AOPA TROPHY For the best work depicting Light Aircraft from 1946 onwards by a Full Member or Associate.

The Committee and Members of the Guild of Aviation Artists wish to thank the generous sponsors of the 2026 exhibition:

Aces High Gallery, The Clearbrook Group and L Anthony Edwards BSc MBA CEng FRAeS. They also thank Key Publishing for the Flypast Trophy and Award, the de Havilland Aircraft Museum for the Award, Leonardo Helicopters for the Trophy and Award, the late Jon Moore for the Best Group Award, the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, for The RAF Museum Award, the late Yvonne Bonham for The Bonham Trophy, the late Eira Gibson for The Arthur Gibson Memorial Trophy, Angela Newton for The Sir George Edwards Memorial Plate, the late Alex Henshaw MBE for The Alex Henshaw Trophy, the late Walter Kahn MBE for the Margaret Kahn Trophy and Award, and The Great War Aviation Society for the Award, the late Charles Pettit for the trophy, Geoffrey New for the Award.

Alex Henshaw MBE and Michael Turner FGAvA with the 'Alex Henshaw Trophy'

Desmond Penrose and Michael Turner FGAvA with the 'Alex Henshaw Trophy'