Valero Backs £500 Young Artists Award in Pembroke Exhibition, Wales 2026

Key Points

• The Valero Pembroke Refinery sponsors a £500 prize for young artists at the Wintering contemporary art show in Pembroke.
• The £500 prize is one of a total prize fund worth £1,100 for the exhibition that is set to take place at the Isobel Kidd Sculpture Studio & Gallery in December 2026.
• The exhibition will feature established as well as emerging artists living or working in West Wales.
• Each artist can submit up to four pieces with the entry fees starting from £15 per piece to a maximum of £30 for four pieces.
• The submission deadline is Sunday, November 8, 2026 while the selected artists will be informed on Friday, November 13, 2026.
• Among the other awards there is £200 Isobel Kidd Gallery Award, three £100 Highly Commended Awards and a £100 Visitors’ Choice Award.
• Wintering will be opened on December 1 and closed on December 31, 2026 with Private View and prize presentation on December 1 between 5 and 8 pm.
• The Open Call accepts painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, textiles and fibre art, mixed media, collage, glass, metal, wood, jewellery and artist books.

Wales (Wales Times) October 16, 2026 — Valero Pembroke Refinery is funding a new £500 award for young artists as part of Wintering, a selected contemporary art exhibition due to take place in Pembroke throughout December.

As reported by the Pembrokeshire Herald, the refinery is backing the £500 prize for young artists within the West Wales exhibition, which will be staged at the Isobel Kidd Sculpture Studio & Gallery. The award forms part of a wider £1,100 prize fund for the December exhibition, which is open to artists living or working in West Wales.

The Wintering exhibition will bring together contemporary work by established and emerging artists. Its organisers have invited submissions across a wide range of creative disciplines, including painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, textiles and fibre art, mixed media, collage, glass, metalwork, wood, jewellery and artist books.

What is the Valero £500 award?

The Valero-backed £500 award is the largest individual prize in the Wintering exhibition’s prize structure. It is intended to recognise young artists taking part in the selected contemporary art exhibition in Pembroke.

As reported by the Pembrokeshire Herald, Valero Pembroke Refinery is funding the new £500 prize for young artists as part of the major West Wales contemporary art exhibition. The report identifies the refinery as the supporter of the award, which sits within the exhibition’s wider prize fund.

The £500 award is described in earlier coverage of the exhibition as the Wintering Prize. The Western Telegraph reported that the exhibition would offer £1,100 in prize money, with the £500 Wintering Prize at the top of the awards list.

How will the £1,100 prize fund be shared?

The exhibition’s total prize fund is £1,100. The £500 Valero-backed award accounts for the largest single portion of that fund.

Award	Value
Wintering Prize, supported by Valero Pembroke Refinery	£500
Isobel Kidd Gallery Award	£200
Highly Commended prizes, three awards	£100 each
Visitors’ Choice Award	£100
Total prize fund	£1,100

As reported by the Western Telegraph, the prize fund comprises the £500 Wintering Prize, the £200 Isobel Kidd Gallery Award, three £100 Highly Commended prizes and a £100 Visitors’ Choice Award. Tenby Today reported the same breakdown in its coverage of the Open Call, noting that the £1,100 fund was available across the awards.

Who can enter the Wintering exhibition?

Artists who live or work in West Wales can enter the exhibition. The Open Call is open to both established and emerging artists, allowing entrants to submit up to four works.

According to the Western Telegraph, entry fees are £15 for one work, £20 for two works, £25 for three works and £30 for four works. The submission deadline is Sunday, November 8, 2026, while selected artists are due to be informed by Friday, November 13, 2026.

Tenby Today reported that submissions, including images and entry information, should be sent to sculpture@isobelkidd.co.uk. Full details and conditions are available through the Isobel Kidd website.

What does the Wintering theme represent?

The exhibition’s theme draws on the idea of “wintering” as more than the winter season. The organisers present it as a concept connected with stillness, endurance, shelter, migration, survival and renewal.

Gallery founder and sculptor Isobel Kidd said she wanted Wintering to be “much more than an exhibition about winter landscapes”. As reported by the Western Telegraph, she said: “In the natural world, what appears dormant can actually be full of activity.”

Ms Kidd added: “Seeds wait beneath the soil, animals adapt, coastlines continue to change and life quietly prepares for another season.” The same remarks were reported by Paul Evans, content editor at Tenby Today, who stated that the exhibition invites artists to interpret the theme in different ways.

What has Isobel Kidd said about the prize fund?

Isobel Kidd said the response to the Open Call had allowed the exhibition’s prize fund to grow quickly through private support.

As reported by the Western Telegraph, Ms Kidd said:

“What has been particularly wonderful is the response since launching the Open Call.”

She added:

“Private support has enabled the prize fund to grow very quickly, and we can now offer £1,100 across the awards.”

She further said:

“I think that demonstrates a real desire to support artists working in west Wales.”

The same statement was reported by Tenby Today in its article on the exhibition and its £1,100 prize fund.

When and where will Wintering take place?

Wintering will take place at the Isobel Kidd Sculpture Studio & Gallery in Pembroke from December 1 to December 31, 2026.

The exhibition will begin with a Private View and prize announcement on Tuesday, December 1, from 5pm to 8pm. It will then remain open at the gallery for the rest of December.

The Western Telegraph reported that the selected exhibition of contemporary art would run throughout December at the Isobel Kidd Sculpture Studio and Gallery, with £1,100 available in prize money.

Which media outlets have reported the award?

The Valero-backed award and the wider exhibition prize fund have been covered by three regional media outlets: the Pembrokeshire Herald, the Western Telegraph and Tenby Today.

• The Pembrokeshire Herald reported that Valero Pembroke Refinery is funding a new £500 prize for young artists as part of the major West Wales contemporary art exhibition in Pembroke.
• The Western Telegraph reported that Wintering would offer £1,100 in prize money and set out the exhibition’s awards, entry fees, submission deadline and opening dates.
• Tenby Today, in an article by content editor Paul Evans, reported that artists across West Wales were being invited to submit work for the exhibition and detailed the £1,100 prize fund.

Background of the development

The Wintering exhibition was launched through an Open Call inviting artists from across West Wales to submit contemporary work. Its stated theme draws on the natural world during winter, presenting the season as a period of hidden activity, adaptation and renewal rather than inactivity.

Private support helped expand the exhibition’s prize fund to £1,100 before Valero Pembroke Refinery’s backing of the £500 young artists’ award was reported. The Isobel Kidd Sculpture Studio & Gallery, founded by sculptor Isobel Kidd, is hosting the exhibition and administering the Open Call.

Valero’s Pembroke refinery is based in Pembroke, Wales, and has been refining since 1964. Valero describes it as one of the largest refineries in Western Europe. The company has previously supported arts-related activity in the region, including sponsorship of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s West Wales Young Actors Studio.

Prediction: how can this affect young West Wales artists?

For young and emerging artists in West Wales, the £500 award could provide a practical reason to submit work to a curated exhibition and seek exposure in a local gallery setting. The prize may also encourage artists who might otherwise be deterred by entry costs to apply, particularly those working in sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography and other media included in the Open Call.

The award could increase competition for places in the exhibition, as artists may be drawn by the opportunity to be selected for a December show and to compete for a share of the £1,100 prize fund. If the exhibition attracts strong entries, it may also give gallery visitors a broader view of contemporary artistic practice in West Wales, while offering selected artists public visibility during the festive period.