Painting Festival 2026 Speech

This 28th edition was dedicated to nature: Ode to Nature was the overarching theme.
And if we have to name a constant value, it is the attention and love for nature. It is the ultimate muse for our painters, always in motion, always challenging, but always present. And challenging it was this week: scorching heat, stormy winds, sea mist, and as a bonus, a magnificent thunderstorm sky. By embracing these elements, you can capture a magical moment on canvas. And that is exactly what the more than 50 artists from home and abroad (11 countries) did this week in full force at our plein air festival. The results can be admired in the tent.

During the festival, Noordwijk transforms into an artists’ colony: a community where artists work together in nature. One week that is looked forward to all year: painting together, eating, discussing, and learning from one another.

Made possible by the Municipality of Noordwijk, the Baalbergen Fund, and beach bar De Zeester. And of course, the buyers and all the residents of Noordwijk who warmly welcome the artists.

Now for the presentation of the awards:

Young Talent Award

Amber van den Berg
The jury is very pleased with a young painter who applied with such quality. Her curiosity is great, and in her use of color, you can see something of a personal world. We hope to see Amber again for many years to come.

Jurgen Leippert Award
On October 22, Jurgen Leippert passed away at the age of 81. He meant a great deal to the Noordwijk Painting Festival. He was pre-eminently a modern impressionist with often expressionistic use of color. Jurgen was also a mentor. Many young artists learned the craft from him, and he coached them with a gentle hand. Above all, Jurgen was a kind, involved man during the 25 years he visited the festival.

Now, the artist who will win the Jurgen Leippert Award:

Antonin Passemard
Jurgen Leippert’s expression and vitality can be found in his works.
The brushstrokes are simply and so perfectly placed that you feel as if you are standing in the middle of the forest. It is a feast of paint.
He sees what lies within a subject for him. He showed a few masterpieces at the festival again this year. He also manages to capture Jurgen’s way of life: creating a beautiful painting in the morning after a late night.

Jury 2026

Maja van Hall Painting Award
Three nominees

Philine van der Vegte
This artist does not immediately stand out at first glance, and that is not due to the quality but to the size of her works. If you then look closely, you see her powerful visual language and use of color. Color schemes in which she takes risks. If you look even longer, you see many different techniques—scratching and splattering. She makes powerful use of the texture of paint and knows how to introduce a great deal of variation.

Her subjects are also small. She sits down and sees a very small subject there that she uses in her work. She searches for them from early morning until late at night.

She strikes like a cat. A consistently high quality.

Anna Pavlova
Anna has developed more and more over the years at the festival. Whereas in the past her level could vary, this year she is much more consistent. An outburst of creativity is kept in check by a certain restraint. One example is Storm No. 345.

Another example of this is Mystery Garden. In every painting, there is an outburst that is channeled.

Intuitive alternation of various painting techniques that serve the whole.

Cederic Neven
Cederic’s paintings this year are of a high standard across the board. In the subjects he chooses, you immediately see the story he wants to tell. Although his painting style is lyrical, he knows how to control himself and never overdoes it. Before he starts painting, he already knows exactly what he wants to paint in terms of color, composition, and tone. The clarity of color is also always fresh and pure. His handwriting possesses a playful ease and freedom.