The 9th John Ruskin Prize
Not for Present Delight
Deadline: Tuesday 17 November
Now calling for entries:
The John Ruskin Prize is one of the fastest-growing multidisciplinary art prizes in the UK, open to all artists, designers and makers, of all nationalities, aged 18 and over.
Work in any 2 or 3 dimensional medium is admissible. Submissions must be digital in format as work will be viewed and judged digitally. More on submission guidelines and FAQs here.
Work must have been made over the past 4 years. The main criteria is that the work engages with the theme, ‘Not for Present Delight’. Installation pieces comprising multiple smaller works, diptychs and triptychs will be considered as a single artwork when completing the submission form. Both individual artists/designers and collectives are eligible to apply. More on submission guidelines and FAQs here.
Entries are welcomed in any and all media, including (but not limited to):
Animation
Ceramics
Collage, in all materials including photography
Combined work using both traditional media and digital elements
Digital artworks
Drawings, in all formats
Film / Video
Glasswork in all forms, such as stained glass or engraved glass
Installation
Paintings, all kinds and in all formats
Performative work, presented in a film format
Photography
Photographic elements, including those manipulated or collaged
Print, including etching, printmaking and lettering in all mediums
Sculpture, including lettering in all mediums
Sculptural work with film/ animation elements
Textiles and fabric
Typography and Calligraphy
Metalwork, including gold and silversmithing and heavy metalwork
This year’s theme:
This year's theme, ‘Not for Present Delight’ invites artists, designers, and craftspeople to question the role of the maker today, considering what it means to understand the world not only as it is, but as something we can actively shape.
In “The Seven Lamps of Architecture", Ruskin urged architects and masons to build as much with the future in mind as for the present day. The 9th John Ruskin Prize expands this idea across the fine and applied arts, opening space for reflection and discussion on how creative practices might carry forward-thinking intention, responsibility, and care.
In a time defined by environmental urgency and social inequality, Not for Present Delight asks what it means to create with an awareness of consequence, and to make work that looks beyond the immediate moment. The exhibition welcomes work that functions as a tool for change or critique, while also posing the challenge: must art serve a purpose beyond itself? Can it exist simply for pleasure, independent of moral or social obligation?
Prizes
1st Prize: £3000
The 1st Prize is made possible by the support of John Ruskin’s charity, the Guild of St George. The Guild inaugurated the first John Ruskin Prize in 2012 and has supported its development and evolution ever since. This prize aims to reflect a central thread of John Ruskin’s thought: that art has the power to reveal and celebrate universal truths, and that a good artist and maker in any medium should always be guided by that search.
The Alan Davidson Under 26 Prize: £1000
This prize is kindly sponsored by The Alan Davidson Foundation.
Ruskin Mill Trust Prize: £3,000
Awarded for a beautifully crafted functional object.
Chelsea Arts Club Trust Prize for mid-career: £2,500
Awarded to a mid-career artist who has been dedicated to their practice for a number of years and is not currently under gallery representation.
The GreatArt People’s Choice Award - £500 worth of materials (plus £100 worth of materials to one lucky voter)
Miranda Forrester
Figurative painter
Meet the Judges
Adam Nathaniel Furman
Artist and designer
Ishbel Myerscough RA
Artist & Artistic Director, Royal Drawing School
Photo credit: Marie Mangan
Clare Twomey
Clay artist and curator
““Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for.””
About the theme
This year's theme 'Not for Present Delight' invites artists, designers, and craftspeople to question the role of the maker today, considering what it means to understand the world not only as it is, but as something we can actively shape.
In the sixth chapter of The Seven Lamps of Architecture, Ruskin wrote: "Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for." This question could be extended far beyond buildings: what might change if we applied this thinking to every act of making? The 9th John Ruskin Prize opens space for reflection and discussion around how creative practices across the fine and applied arts might carry forward-thinking intention, responsibility, and care.
Ruskin believed that the way a society builds, crafts, and makes reflects its values. His critique of industrialisation was not merely aesthetic, he saw in mass production a moral failure: the replacement of lasting, considered work with objects designed only for the present. In a time defined by environmental urgency and social inequality, 'Not for Present Delight' asks what it means to create with an awareness of consequence, and to make work that looks beyond the immediate moment.
The exhibition welcomes work that functions as a tool for change or critique, while also posing the challenge: must art serve a purpose beyond itself? Can it exist simply for pleasure, independent of moral or social obligation? Ruskin's own words leave room for doubt. He does not dismiss delight or use outright. He asks only that neither be the limit of our ambition.
The question the theme puts to every maker is the same one Ruskin asked of every architect: when you make something, are you thinking only of now?
You may wish to read more through Ruskin’s writings:
The complete works can be read online or downloaded, for free, via The Ruskin at Lancaster University: READ HERE
The Seven Lamps of Architecture: READ HERE
An introduction to reading Ruskin: READ HERE
A selection of readings from The Stones of Venice: READ HERE
PRIZE FOUNDER & CORE SUPPORTER
The Guild of St George is an educational charity founded in the 1870s by 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.
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 RUSKIN MILL TRUST PRIZE & SUPPORTER OF THE 2027 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.
Learn more here.
SUPPORTER & EXHIBITION VENUE
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 Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust was set up in 1998 by London Docklands Development Corporation to hold the land and their vision in trust for the people of London. The Trust has supported and funded a wide range of arts projects and organisations.
Learn more here.
SPONSOR OF THE UNDER 26 PRIZE & SUPPORTER OF THE 2027 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 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.
Learn more here.
SPONSOR OF GREATART PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD & MATERIAL SPONSOR OF 2027 EVENTS PROGRAMME
GreatArt is the UK's largest range of art materials with over 60,000 products available online. Our aim is to provide a friendly and reliable service for our customers, and to help promote 'Art for All', with the best choice of products available with low prices everyday.
GreatArt is a part of the Gerstaecker family who has been supplying art materials for over 50 years. After trading online for over 15 years, GreatArt opened it's first UK store in the heart of Shoreditch, London. The arrival of the 8500 square foot store brought a new artist's hot spot to East London, ready to be a part of the city's lively art community.
Learn more here.
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
Founded in 2000 by the Guild of St George, The Big Draw, originally known as the Campaign for Drawing, is an arts education charity dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity, and social and cultural engagement.
Based in Trinity Buoy Wharf, the charity leads a diverse programme of advocacy, empowerment and engagement, and is the founder and driving force behind The Big Draw Festival – the world’s biggest celebration of drawing!
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.
Learn more here.