Ireland (EUR)
We would like to start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who dared to challenge their creativity in this year’s Pen Store Talents and showcased their work in the world’s longest art exhibition! The level of creativity and quality has been higher than ever this year. During the jury process, we were repeatedly left in awe and impressed by your ability to, with eight randomly selected pens, create unique pieces of truly high quality. In the end, 20 winners were selected who stood out that little bit extra.
All winners have been contacted via email.
1st prize: Meja Hardin
The winner of this year’s Pen Store Talents is Meja Hardin.
Motivation: This year’s winner of Pen Store Talents impresses with a piece that demonstrates both a strong artistic presence and technical skill. Early in the jury process, the entry emerged as a favourite and continued to stand out all the way through to the final decision.
The artist has created a vivid and colourful scene where light, movement and detail interact in a way that immediately captures the viewer. The composition guides the eye through the piece and invites new discoveries with every look.
What truly sets this work apart is the ability to create depth, energy and emotion with limited means. The way the randomly assigned pens have been used feels both bold and thoughtful, the line work is confident and the overall impression resonates with summer, togetherness and nostalgia. This is a piece that not only shows what can be done with eight pens, it shows what creativity, feeling and skill can achieve when they come together.
Congratulations to this year’s winner, Meja Hardin.
Shared 2nd place goes to...
Linnea Strid @yourfavouritecolor
Liselotte Söderlund @liselotte.soderlund
Matilda Emgård @matilda.emgard
Nikita Murashov @niki_mna
Sara Pålsson @sara.jl.palsson
Marcus Lysén @marcuslysen
Christian Prändel @art_by_prendel
Anna Westin @annawestinart
Tyra Bylesjö @t.bylesjo
Annika Widlert @illustranka
Esther Nylander @esthernylander.konst
Emma Stæhr Christensen @khemmasc
Leonardo Casal Eriksson @leo.dyston
Andie Ekström @dunderlarv
Hannes Norrbygård @hannes_art08
Lisa Ehnberg
Felicia Rudevärn
Nora Klingfors @norasgrejer
All artworks are created using these 8 pens
About this year’s challenge
In this year’s Pen Store Talents, 10,000 people were given the same conditions: eight selected pens and a blank advertising poster to create freely on. The result was as many interpretations as participants.
The Stockholm Underground is often referred to as the world’s longest art exhibition. This time, it truly became one, as thousands of submitted entries in Pen Store Talents replaced the advertising spaces inside the carriages for two weeks. Together, creators from across the Nordics transformed the everyday journey into a moving gallery.
Browse a selection of entries from Pen Store Talents 2026 in our digital art tour.
