The 8th John Ruskin Prize Exhibition

‘Patience in Looking, Truth in Making’

Arts education charity The Big Draw, together with the Prize founders and sponsors, The Guild of St George, presents the exhibition of shortlisted works for The 8th John Ruskin Prize.

Selected from over 3,800 entries, the exhibition features 91 works by 82 artists, makers and innovators, chosen by a distinguished panel of judges: Mary Evans (Artist and Director of Fine Art, Slade, UCL), Victoria Pomery OBE (CEO, The Box, Plymouth), Neal Shasore Hon FRIBA (historian, writer and advocate for heritage and craft), Julian Wild (artist, Trustee of CAC and Co-Director of Cement Art School), and Nichola Johnson OBE FSA (Director, The Guild of St George).

Bringing together practices rooted in skilled craftsmanship and sustained engagement with nature, place and lived experience, the exhibition responds to the theme Patience in Looking, Truth in Making. Across the selected works, close observation and careful making reveal deeper truths about the world we inhabit, with recurring concerns around environmental responsibility, the value of labour, and making as both a moral and material commitment.

Spanning sculpture, drawing, textiles, metalwork and mixed media, the exhibition invites visitors to slow down, look closely and reflect on how truth emerges through the relationship between eye, hand and material. In doing so, it reflects the Ruskin Prize’s ongoing commitment to cross-disciplinary practice and John Ruskin’s enduring belief in the value of making, craft and creative thinking.

Winners

The winners were announced at the Exhibition Launch & Awards Announcement on Wednesday 28th January 2026 at Trinity Buoy Wharf:

• 1st Prize (£3000): Duncan Cameron, Stratigraphy

• Highly Commended: Rogan Brown, Cornucopia

• Highly Commended: Jo Guile, Negative Ground X & Negative Ground VIII

• The Alan Davidson Under 26 Prize (£1000): Kanmi Olukanni , Me, Myself and I

• Highly Commended: Izaac Elliott, Nothing Happens, Everything Happens

• Ruskin Mill Trust Prize, awarded for a beautifully crafted functional object (£3,000): Lena Heinrich, Taxonomy of a Straw Bundle

• Highly Commended: Anna Ólafsson, Anemone Cup

• Highly Commended: Katie Allen, Give her a voice

• Chelsea Arts Club Trust Prize for mid-career artists (£2,500): Henny Burnett, Sponge Tower & Corrugated Tower

Shortlisted artists 2026

Elisa Alaluusua, Luke Alen-Buckley, Katie Allen, Kim Anderson, John Angus, Abigail Asher, Grace Ayson, Rachel Bacon, Russell Bamber, Jacqui Barrowcliffe, Camila Barvo, Jacob van der Beugel, Sharon Bolister, Jim Bond, James Bristow, Rogan Brown, Camilla Brueton, Henny Burnett, Belinda Bushby, Mark Butler, Andrada Calin, Duncan Cameron, Cas Campbell, Fiona Campbell, Birch & Casey, Oliver Chard, Charlotte Chisholm, Benet Dalmau Alsina, Nikki Davidson-Bowman, Karen Downing, Beverley Duckworth, Jacqueline Duncan, Keith Dymond, Izaac Elliott, Tzion Essel, Francis Evans, Hannah Fray, Jan Frith Johnston, Frankie Gao, Jill Gibson, James Gosling, Mary Griffiths, David Grinaway, Jo Guile, Lena Heinrich, Brian D Hodgson, Ellie Howitt, Zeha Imran, Wenjun Jiang, Emily Jo Gibbs, Rose Jones, James Kessell, Kishwar Kiani, Benxing Liang, Claire Louise Davies, Tessa Maiden, Tracy McBride, Donna Mclean, Matthew Merttens, Ravi Modi, Tom Mole, Stephanie Nebbia, Melissa Newbery Welcome, Peter Newell-Price, Anna Ólafsson, Kanmi Olukanni, Anne Petters, Robert Radcliffe, Fiona Roberts, Emily Rose Saunders, Minty Sainsbury, Rita Sarafian, Chris Shaw Hughes, Tomohiro Shibuki, Cathryn Shilling, Alison Stott, Bridget Tennent, Felicity Warbrick, Helen Ward, Jenny Wiggins, Eleanor Wood, Youyang Zhao.

PRIZE FOUNDER & CORE SUPPORTER

The Guild of St George is an educational charity founded in the 1870s by the Victorian polymath, John Ruskin, devoted to the arts, crafts and the rural economy. It has more than 300 Companions (members) around the world who share an interest in how the values and teachings of Ruskin’s art, social and political criticism can inspire us to help make lives better, and the planet healthier, today.

The Guild founded the Campaign for Drawing in 2000, which later became the independent charity The Big Draw, and it has been a partner in the John Ruskin Prize since its inception, providing the First and Second Prize.

Learn more here.

SUPPORTER & EXHIBITION VENUE, January 2025

Trinity Buoy Wharf is a place devoted to creative and arts activity on the River Thames in London's Docklands and managed by Urban Space Management Ltd. Home to London’s only Lighthouse, a vibrant creative community, a sculpture park, event venues and Container City™ Buildings.

The 7th John Ruskin Prize shortlist exhibition will be hosted at Trinity Buoy Wharf, 16 January- 2nd February 2025.

Learn more here.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Parker Harris are the project mangers of the prize, alongside overseeing ArtOpps, the art opportunity portal hosting The John Ruskin Prize call for entries. Created in 1990, Parker Harris is one of the leading visual arts consultancies in the UK facilitating exhibitions, events and opportunities for artists. Specialists in expert creation and project management of visual arts projects spanning all disciplines and all scales, Parker Harris’ clients range from trusts and foundations, SMEs and multinationals to charities, arts organisations and individual artists.

Learn more here

SPONSOR OF THE UNDER 26 PRIZE

SUPPORTER OF THE 2026 EVENTS PROGRAMME

Alan Davidson (1960-2018) was an architect, artist and polymath who pioneered the introduction of architectural visualisation and founded world renowned studio Hayes Davidson. Following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease in 2012, Alan set about planning the legacy he wished to leave behind and set up The Alan Davidson Foundation to support people living with MND and the search for a cure for MND as well as support his great passion for Architecture communication and the Arts.

Launched in 2021, The Davidson Prize is a new architectural prize rewarding innovative concepts that imaginatively rethink the design of the contemporary home.

Learn more here.

SPONSOR OF THE CHELSEA ARTS CLUB TRUST PRIZE FOR A MID-CAREER ARTIST

Chelsea Arts Club is a historic private members’ club founded in 1891 to bring together artists, designers, writers, and creative thinkers. Based in the heart of Chelsea, the Club provides a welcoming space for creative exchange, collaboration, and social connection across disciplines. With a strong tradition of exhibitions, talks, and cultural events, Chelsea Arts Club continues to champion artistic practice, nurture creative communities, and celebrate the enduring value of the arts in contemporary life.

SPONSOR OF THE RUSKIN MILL TRUST PRIZE FOR A BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED FUNCTIONAL OBJECT

SUPPORTER OF THE 2026 EVENTS PROGRAMME

Ruskin Mill Trust is an educational charity dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people who have struggled to thrive in conventional settings. Through practical, hands-on learning rooted in crafts, land-based work, and the natural environment, they help students develop confidence, skills, and a sense of purpose. Their approach recognises the connection between learning, wellbeing, and meaningful work, offering personalised education that nurtures both academic and personal growth. By fostering resilience, creativity, and responsibility, Ruskin Mill Trust supports young people to build fulfilling futures and active roles within their communities.