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The Thinking Hand concludes with an anniversary exhibition
The Thinking Hand drawing competition's final three scholarship recipients have now been announced. Nicole Khadivi, Jacob Adler and Vilgot Björkman will each receive a prize of SEK 100,000. In autumn 2026, His Majesty The King's scholarship competition will conclude with an anniversary exhibition at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.
The exhibition will bring together works by all 30 scholarship recipients from 2017 to 2026, and marks the end of the ten-year collaboration between the Royal Court of Sweden and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, which began in connection with His Majesty The King's 70th birthday.
> Link to the exhibition Opens in new window.
Since the competition began, ten young draughtsmen have been nominated each year by members of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The nominees' works have been presented at Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities and on the Royal Palace's online platform. From these, three scholarship recipients have been selected each year and awarded a scholarship of SEK 100,000 each.
The anniversary exhibition at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is the first time all the scholarship recipients have been brought together in a joint presentation. The exhibition highlights the role of drawing in contemporary art, architecture, illustration and design.
The scholarship has its roots in a long-standing royal commitment to art and culture. Several generations of the Bernadotte family have worked to support artistic initiatives. King Gustaf VI Adolf was involved in founding the Friends of the Nationalmuseum in 1911, and his support for the museum's Young Draughtsmen drawing competition has been an important source of inspiration.
This commitment to promoting young artists has also continued with subsequent generations, and now includes His Majesty The King and Prince Carl Philip, who is part of the scholarship jury.
The exhibition showcases the scholarship recipients' artistic work with a focus on the contemporary, alongside historical material from the collections of King Gustaf VI Adolf and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, linking the past with the present and highlighting the continued relevance of draughtsmanship.
The exhibition: 10 October to 21 November 2026 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
The jury: The jury for 2026 consisted of HRH Prince Carl Philip, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts Lena From, and members of the Academy artist Gunnel Wåhlstrand, architect Jonas Elding and artist Jockum Nordström.
The scholarship fund: The scholarship competition and the exhibition have been supported by Elisabeth and Gustaf Douglas, via the scholarship fund established in 2016 to mark HM The King's 70th birthday.
HM The King with Elisabeth Douglas at the scholarship ceremony in Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities. Photo: Sanna Argus Tirén/The Royal Court of Sweden.
Press contact
The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts:
Therese Sheats
070-224 01 47
therese.sheats@konstakademien.se
The Royal Court of Sweden:
Maria Ulander
08-402 60 59
marknad@kungligaslotten.se