Belgravia’s five-star hotspot The Hari was the place to be last week as the art glitterati packed into the luxury hotel for the 2025 Hari Art Prize — with three rising stars walking away with a share of a £14,000 prize pot.
Now in only its fourth year, the competition has grown into a popular and coveted art competition, with more than 1,500 hopefuls battling it out across sculpture, painting and installation.
Hotel bosses say this year has been the biggest — and most fiercely contested — yet.
Top honours went to Beth McAlester, whose hauntingly intimate painting about family and the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict left judges stunned. The panel gave her unanimous first place and £10,000 to turbo-charge her career as she prepares to join the Royal Academy Schools.
The Hari CEO Francesco Sardelli with winner Beth McAlester
Runner-up Franklin Collins was awarded £3,000 for transforming junk into jaw-dropping beauty — turning scrap into show-stoppers with what judges called raw honesty and bold vision. And in third place, Elinor Haynes impressed with her experimental mix of textures and materials, scooping £1,000 for pushing the boundaries of what art can be.
The cash prizes were thanks to the generosity of The Hari’s CEO and chairman Dr Aron Harilela, in collaboration with the leading art curators A Space for Art.
Judges and winners celebrate the Art Prize
Guests toasted the night with a bespoke cocktail menu from drinks partner Clase Azul, including the Prickly Paloma and the Rosa Negroni — before the tequila maestros handed their own Clase Azul Choice Award to Damien Cifelli for his striking storytelling style.
General Manager Francesco Sardelli told The Chelsea Citizen: “We are delighted to be hosting The Hari Art Prize again this year after the huge success we saw in 2024. At The Hari, we are committed to celebrating art and giving young artists as much opportunity as possible. We look forward to supporting new generations of talent.”
Since September, works by shortlisted artists have been popping up throughout the hotel’s plush public spaces — turning corridors into galleries and lobbies into mini-museums.
The exhibition stays open until January 2026, giving Londoners a chance to say they spotted the next big thing – before everyone else did!
