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Exhibition Drawing competition The Thinking Hand

Spring exhibition The Thinking Hand is an annual scholarship competition for young draftsmen. Read about this year nominees and see their artwork in the digital gallery here at the web site.

"Welcome to the fourth edition of the scholarship competition The Thinking Hand.

The scholarship was founded in connection with my 70th birthday and is devoted to Sweden’s young draftsmen.

Unfortunately, in light of the ongoing pandemic, we are unable to present the works in a physical exhibition at the Royal Palace. However, it is gratifying that an exhibition of the nominated works can be presented digitally.

This year, 352 applications came in – a record! I understand that the Royal Academy of Fine Arts had a great challenge in selecting the ten contributions that have now gone on to be exhibited here.

One thing is certain, the creative act of drawing is alive and well among the country's young artists. It is my hope that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and that they will be as impressed as I am with all the talent and skill that is on display here.

Welcome to the 2020 digital exhibition!"

HM THE KING'S SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION is open to young draftsmen working with visual interpretation within art, architecture, fashion, design, illustration, game development and other related fields. The scholarship competition and exhibition is a collaboration between the Royal Court and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

THE NOMINEES 2020 are Aron Landahl, Esbjörn Grip, Felix Vasquez Aguilera, Ingrid Giro, Jesper O.T. Andersson, Joakim Derlow, Kristin Karlsson, Minna Floss, Siri Carlén and
Tomas Lundgren, each participating with several artworks to both the competition and exhibition. The participants are nomineed by a selection committee from the Royal Academy.

Click on each nominees artwork below to enter the artist's page and see all their contributions to the scholarship competition and exhibition!

A JURY appoints three of the nominees to the scholarships, each receiving SEK 100,000. The jury consist of HRH Prince Carl Philip, Isabella Nilsson, Permanent secretary at the the Royal Academy, artists Anette Senneby, Leif Elggren and architect Petra Gipp, commissioner at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2020 are Felix Vasquez Aguilera, Kristin Karlsson and Tomas Lundgren.

HM The King. Photo: Peter Knutson

In the Bernadotte Family, each generation has shown a commitment to culture and a desire to support those who work with art. We wish to wish to make special mention of Gustaf VI Adolf, a founding member of the Friends of the National Museum in 1911 and whose many years of support for the National Museum's drawing competition 'Young Draftsmen' has been a source of inspiration for the drawing competition 'The Thinking Hand'. Using his position to bring attention to, aid and support young artists was a matter of course for the former king, as it is for our current King and his son Prince Carl Philip, who has served on the jury for the scholarship competition since its inception in 2017.

Read more about the annual scholarship competition