The winning artists were selected anonymously by our judging team of former Creative Croydon artist winners. This comprised of 2025 winners Alec Saunders, Alex Mouette and Shirley Shephard, alongside 2024 winners Iulia Taropa, Autumn Ng Fong Tiao and Erika Gomez.
The competition was open to anyone who lives, works, or studies in Croydon, with a £750 commission to be awarded to each winner. With no set theme for this year’s instalment, artists were simply encouraged to submit work that would bring a bright and vibrant feel to Croydon town centre for the summer.
Learn more about the three selected artists, and the inspiration behind their work, below:
Alexander Adegbite
Alexander Adegbite is a freelance illustrator. He likes his work to be colourful, chromatic and bold. Born and raised in Croydon, he studied Digital Art at The BRIT School from 2019-2021 and graduated from The University of Hertfordshire with a degree in Comics and Concept Art in September 2025.
About the art:
“These three digital paintings depict iconic places to me as somebody who has grown up in Croydon. They hold the graphic pop of my art-style in the hopes to represent the colourful tones of a Croydon summer, and celebrate the architecture and vibrant community of our town.”
Montell Barrett-Brooks
Montell is an illustrator from Croydon creating bright, playful work inspired by everyday life, childhood memories and culturally rich places. Born, raised and working in the borough, he draws from its diversity and familiarity. Returning to art a year ago, he continues shaping his style through experimentation, blending imagination with reality.
About the art:
“My artworks celebrate local identity through three of my favourite iconic locations. Pollards hill, Crystal Palace Park and Saffron Tower. Each surrounded by vibrant natural elements such as flowers and greenery. By blending Croydon’s urban landmarks with nature, the series highlights how the boroughs architecture and landscapes beautifully complement one another.”
Christopher Hope-Fitch
Christopher has lived and worked in Croydon for over 20 years and has long admired its often-unloved concrete architecture. Through his photography, he explores the relationship between light, colour and the built environment, revealing familiar places from fresh and unexpected perspectives.
About the art:
“All three images are from my Brutalism in Colour series where I photograph brutalist structures at night in ambient lighting only, then bring out the colour as much as possible in post-production to show them in a more colourful way than usual. For this entry I’ve chosen the classic NLA Tower, then the Flyover and Ryland House, two hopefully less obvious choices to show the creative potential of what we have in Croydon.”
Learn more about the 2026 Creative Croydon exhibition from the Croydonist here: https://www.croydonist.co.uk/creative-croydon-26/
