This winter, Tighnabruaich Gallery presents the inaugural 'Michael Harding' Secret Coast Prize for Fine Art - a new national exhibition celebrating honesty, craft, and the breadth of fine art practice across Scotland, the UK and Ireland.
Running 30 November - 21 December 2025, the exhibition brings together shortlisted artists working in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture, exhibited alongside special invited guest artists Henry Kondracki RSA and José Luis Serzo.
This first year has been made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and supporters, including Michael Harding Paints, Tamburrini Art & Framing, and the artists who have championed the Prize from the beginning.
Prize Structure
The 2025 Prize includes three awards, each designed to celebrate excellence while supporting artists materially and financially:
The Michael Harding Secret Coast Prize for Fine Art
- £1,000 cash prize
- £1,000 worth of Michael Harding oil paints and materials
The Argyll & Bute Prize
Recognising an artist living or working within the region
- £250 cash prize donated by Tighnabruaich Gallery
The Michael Harding Early Career Artist Award
Supporting students, recent graduates and late returners to art
- £500 worth of Michael Harding materials
- £250 cash prize donated by Tighnabruaich Gallery
- £300 of professional framing by Tamburrini Art & Framing
Each award reflects our belief in opportunity, fairness, and the enduring value of supporting artists not just with recognition, but with real, practical resources.
A New Annual Tradition
This exhibition marks the beginning of what we hope will become a much-anticipated annual winter show - a place where established voices and emerging talent share the same walls, and where a rural gallery on Scotland's Secret Coast stands proudly at the heart of the national conversation.