House & Garden Craft Prize 2026

Description

Crafts Council has partnered with House & Garden and Sotheby's to launch the new House & Garden Craft Prize.

Open to established and emerging practitioners living and working in the UK, the prize welcomes submissions across scale and media – from unexpected explorations of clay and textile, to ambitious creations in wood and fine metalwork.

The House & Garden Craft Prize asserts unequivocally that contemporary craft – when driven by discipline and imagination – belongs in the same cultural, intellectual and commercial arenas as painting, sculpture or couture.

Chaired by Talib Choudhry, editor of House & Garden, the 2026 judging panel includes TF Chan, fair director of Collect, Julia Fischel, director at Sotheby’s London, and Keith Brymer Jones, master potter and judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Submissions will be assessed for:

• Technical mastery
• Originality
• The capacity to advance a discipline

Guided by a Steering Committee comprising Pratyush Sarup, director of content strategy at House & Garden, Natalie Melton, executive director of the Crafts Council, and Magnus von Wistinghausen, executive director of World Monuments Fund Britain, there will be 10 works shortlisted, with each receiving dedicated editorial exposure.

The shortlisted works will be exhibited from May 11-17 at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, W1, during London Craft Week 2026. The winner announcement will take place at a VIP reception on May 11.

The winner will receive support designed to accelerate long-term artistic development:

• A cash bursary
• Sustained editorial exposure
• Mentorship through House & Garden

By connecting UK-based makers with collectors, curators and design leaders, House & Garden Craft Prize will reposition the cultural and institutional value of contemporary craft

‘As the director of Collect art fair, I’ve experienced first-hand how contemporary craft – with its combination of creativity and confidence of the hand – can create artworks and objects that enrich our lives, encourage cultural dialogue and stand the test of time,’ says TF Chan. ‘By offering a prestigious platform and reaching audiences beyond specialist circles, the House & Garden Craft Prize can play a meaningful role in supporting craft in our country.’

‘The House & Garden Craft Prize is incredibly significant as it gives exposure to the value of making something by hand,’ adds Keith Brymer Jones. ‘As humans, we have a uniquely individual capacity for creativity and adaptability. This prize celebrates that.’

For Julia Fischel, director at Sotheby’s London, the House & Garden Craft Prize is an opportunity to discover material applications, skills and stories we might not have encountered before. ‘I’m looking for those pushing the boundaries of craft with creativity and ambition, whilst building on the shoulders of generations of crafts people who have worked before them,’ she says. ‘I'm looking forward to being surprised and delighted!’