2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize: Victoria Olt Gallery Drawing Award Winners Announced!

I’m really glad I got to sponsor the Drawing Award of this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. Supporting young artists is so important to me, the art world isn’t always an easy place to grow in. I’ve met many talented people over the years who ended up giving up because of the challenges. That’s why I think opportunities like this are so valuable to give talented artists everywhere a chance to shine. And thank you to everyone who applied!

Unfortunately, in the end we could only choose a few artworks to win the awards. But there were so many incredible pieces, and I truly wish I could tell each of you individually how well you did.

Victoria Olt, owner of Victoria Olt Gallery

Thank you & Acknowledgements

Once again, we would like to thank all of the artists that entered and shared their work and their artistic passion with us. It was such a pleasure to immerse ourselves in the work of so many creatives, working across varied mediums and styles, and reading their stories.

Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Danijela Krha Purssey has the pleasure of curating each issue of the magazine and our exhibitions. The Art Prize entries will continue to give her a plethora of new ideas and choices to pursue in future. So thank you again for your interest in the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, we very much hope to see how your work has grown and developed in next year’s Prize.

We would also like to sincerely thank the 2025 Jury Panel, Victoria Olt and Anne Murphy Robinson (Drawing jurors), Matthew Stone (Digital Art juror), Nicolas Bruno (Photography juror), Jana Brike, Emilie Dietrich and Professor Dr. Ulrich Seibert (Painting jurors), Vicki Fox and Catherine. K. Gyllerstrom (Emerging Artist jurors), Yasha Young and Amber Cowan (Sculpture jurors), as well as the Directors of Haven Gallery, Erica Berkowitz and Joseph Weinreb.

To our major sponsors: RAYMAR President & Creative Director, Emilie Dietrich; the team at MPB; Prof. Dr. Ulrich Sebert, Art Collector, Law Professor & Philanthropist, Seibert Collection; Yasha Young Projects Founder Yasha Young; Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, Catherine K. Gyllerstrom; and Victoria Olt, Artist & Gallerist of Victoria Olt Gallery – our deepest gratitude for supporting this year’s Prize. It is through your support and generosity that the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize is able to acknowledge and uplift so many incredible artists and photographers from around the world.

As always a huge thanks to the Beautiful Bizarre team for their dedication and hard work on behalf of the prize and winners all-year round, and of course to my partner, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine‘s Co-Founder Richard Purssey.

Our sincere thanks to this year’s Victoria Olt Gallery Drawing Award Sponsors. It is through their generosity that the Drawing Award Winners will be able to enrich their practice.

Victoria Olt Gallery Drawing Award

The Victoria Olt Gallery Drawing Award 1st prize winner will receive:

• $3,000 USD cash, generously donated by Victoria Olt Gallery, as well as the opportunity to exhibit at the gallery in 2026 (details TBC with the gallery). Situated in Tallinn City Center in Estonia, Victoria Olt Gallery brings more lively and inspiring art to public spaces and Estonian homes, from local and international artists.
• A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery in Northport, NY, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• 3 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 2 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
• Winning artwork published in the December 2025 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
• A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

2nd prize winner will receive:

• $1,000 USD cash, generously donated by 3dtotal, an industry-leading art-book publisher. Renowned for creating high-quality, inspirational, and practical art books and tutorial books, 3dtotal works with some of the world’s best artists.
• The opportunity to exhibit at Victoria Olt Gallery in 2026 (details TBC with the gallery). Situated in Tallinn City Center in Estonia, Victoria Olt Gallery brings more lively and inspiring art to public spaces and Estonian homes, from local and international artists.  
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery in Northport, NY, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

3rd prize winner will receive:

• $500 USD cash, generously donated by 3dtotal, an industry-leading art-book publisher, and Haven Gallery in Northport, New York, USA.
• The opportunity to exhibit at Victoria Olt Gallery in 2026 (details TBC with the gallery). Situated in Tallinn City Center in Estonia, Victoria Olt Gallery brings more lively and inspiring art to public spaces and Estonian homes, from local and international artists.  
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery in Northport, NY, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work. A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

The winners of the 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize (1st, 2nd & 3rd Prize Winners of the Painting, Drawing, Digital, Sculpture and Photography Awards; and the 1st Prize Winner of the Emerging Artist Award, along with the Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize) will be invited to participate in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition ‘Reverie’ at Haven Gallery in Northport, New York, United States, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists!

Winners may exhibit their prize winning entry if it was created within 12 months of the entry date, and not hung in any other exhibition or prize previously. Work already exhibited or hung in a Prize will not be accepted to the ‘Reverie’ exhibition. If the prize winning work is not eligible to be exhibited in the exhibition, or if the artist chooses, they may create a new work for the exhibition.

Congratulations to the 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize Victoria Olt Gallery Drawing Award Winners Brian Bailey, Senescence & Summer Aldis!

3rd Prize Winner

Summer Aldis

Currently resides: Australia

“Old Soul”, Graphite on paper, 90 x 90 cm

Summer Aldis is a self-taught, award-winning artist working in graphite. Her monochrome drawings of anonymous women in quiet domestic spaces explore themes of quiet contemplation, nostalgia, and absence. With faces turned away, her subjects invite contemplation of femininity, vulnerability, and the unseen stories that shape our inner worlds.

“Old Soul”: A woman cradles a lush bouquet of native flora. Tucked among the blooms, a snake coils quietly- its presence a subtle disruption. This tension between beauty and danger speaks to the complexity of inheritance- the tender and the painful, both shaping who we become. The figure doesn’t flinch; her hands remain open. There is acceptance here- a quiet embrace of the past, and all that is carried forward.

2nd Prize Winner

Senescence

Currently reside: Australia

“Numb I,” Coloured Pencil, Copic Marker, Multiliner, Ink on cotton stock paper, 84 x 59 cm

Senescence was born in Adelaide, Australia, Senescence’s artistic journey began in early childhood with black-and-white pencil illustrations. At eighteen, they entered the visual arts industry, later transitioning into commercial graphic arts. Their professional path expanded beyond art, leading them to complete degrees in psychology and medicine, ultimately specialising in the teaching of surgical and medical anatomy at the University of Adelaide. After more than fifteen years in academia, a diagnosis of a brain tumor and other significant health challenges led Senescence to step away from their teaching career. This turning point marked a return to their artistic roots—this time, not within a commercial framework, but as a deeply personal exploration. For the first time, they are creating art for themselves, weaving together decades of experience in science, medicine, and visual storytelling. Senescence approaches this new chapter with curiosity and passion, embracing the intersection of anatomy, emotion, and form. They invite you to engage with their work, hoping that it resonates as much with others as it has with them.

“Numb I”: Speaks to a state of disconnect between emotional and physical states. The figures eyes are desensitised to the world around them as they perform autonomously, analogous to how many victims of abuse are expected to simply go on living, and internalise their experiences as though no trauma ever occurred. The same societal pressure to carry on is expressed in the figures puppet like pose and warped internal anatomy, reflecting a sense of lost autonomy in the face of one’s own response to manipulation. At the same time for many who have experienced abuse there is a freeing and transformative process in detaching themselves from their body, achieving a sense of ethereal beauty and relief in the face of decay and death.

1st Prize Winner

Brian Bailey

Currently resides: United States

“Deep”, Pastel on paper, 41 x 27 in

Brian Bailey was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Formerly a professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, he now paints and teaches privately in New Jersey. Following a successful career that spanned several decades as a noteworthy illustrator, he began to focus his energies on more personal artistic pursuits. He has won numerous awards for his work in pastel and has been featured in select exhibitions both nationally and abroad. Most recently his work has been shown at several exhibitions at the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain as well as Sotheby’s in New York , NY. His work has been exhibited at ARTLIFE FEST in Moscow, Russia, and the International Pastel Biennial in Suzhou, China, as well as several exhibitions at the Butler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, the Salmagundi Club and the National Arts Club in NYC. His work is in several public and private collections including the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. As an artist working in a realist tradition he tries to create singular contemporary images that speak to the fragility of both the natural world and the human condition. The stillness of his painting offers the viewer a moment of both contemplation and reflection. “In my painting there is nothing I take away, nor give artifice to enhance the quiet permanence of a subject’s beauty.”

“Deep”: Is a figurative work depicting a friend’s struggle with depression. A lifelong battle with the illness took its toll on both relationships and family members. Her accounts of the episodes were of being twisted and dragged down to the bottom of the sea, as if boulders were pulling her deeper and deeper. Hence the title “Deep”.