The John Ruskin Prize 2026 invites artists, designers and makers from around the world to submit their creative artwork responding to this year’s theme, Not for Present Delight.
The theme asks makers to consider what it means to create with an awareness of consequence, particularly in a time shaped by environmental urgency and social inequality. It explores whether art should serve a purpose beyond itself, while leaving room for work created simply for pleasure, independent of moral or social obligation.
Selected works will be presented in an exhibition at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London.
Prizes
Four winners will receive prizes totalling £9,500:
1st Prize: £3,000
Alan Davidson Under 26 Prize: £1,000
Ruskin Mill Trust Prize: £3,000
Chelsea Arts Club Award: £2,500
Eligibility
The prize is open to:
Artists, designers and makers, both amateur and professional.
Applicants from anywhere in the world.
Individual artists, designers and collectives.
Works must:
Engage with the theme Not for Present Delight.
Have been created within the past four years.
Be in any 2D or 3D medium, including drawing, painting, print, sculpture, photography, textiles, animation, mixed media, digital, performance and installation.
Be submitted digitally for viewing and judging.
Installation pieces comprising multiple smaller works, as well as diptychs and triptychs, may be submitted as a single artwork.
As part of the submission process, applicants must confirm that the submitted work was created by a human.
Application information
Deadline: 17 November 2026
For more information and to enter, click here.
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