ABOUT THE AWARD 

Award winners receive a year’s worth of professional development (including talks from guest speakers working in commercial galleries, art charities and private collections) and free membership of the Royal Society of Sculptors for a year.

Winners are also included in a group exhibition (existing work only) that takes place in London first followed, where possible, by a second iteration of the show outside of London. In the past three years, the show has travelled in May to The Art House in Wakefield.

As an award recipient there will also be chance to apply for member-only opportunities, including funded residencies and curated exhibitions. In addition, a residency based at Benson Sedgwick Engineering Ltd., a metal fabricator in Dagenham, East London is available to GBA winners only.

Winners will be invited to a welcome reception on Friday 5th of December at 5 pm hosted by the Society's President, Laura Ford.

GUEST SELECTOR 

The guest selector for 2026 is Tabish Khan, art critic, writer, speaker, podcaster, and curator, who passionately believes in making art accessible to everyone.

Tabish visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year, covering everything from the major blockbusters to the emerging art scene in London and beyond. He writes regularly for Londonist and FAD and has written for Artsy, Elephant, Stir World, and the New York Observer. He is co-host of the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Arty and has judged many prizes.

Tabish is a trustee of the prestigious City & Guilds London Art School and Discerning Eye, which hosts an annual exhibition featuring hundreds of works. He is also an honorary trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation supporting artists through profile-raising activities and exhibitions. He is also a critical friend of UP Projects that bring contemporary art to public spaces.

ENTRY FEE

Entry fee is £10

ENTRY PROCESS

Applications are welcomed from early career artists of any age and nationality, with or without formal training, though not in formal education.

All styles of media are considered, including installation, site-specific, performance, conceptual and video work. A minimum of four years exhibiting experience is expected.

Applicants, based in the UK and internationally, must be committed to embracing all aspects of the Award and actively participate in all Award events.

Please note that the Society is unable to contribute financially towards artist expenses, travel costs or any costs associated with the group show exhibition.

All applicants will be required to complete an application. This comprises:

·         Up to 12 images illustrating no less than five different works - please provide details for each artwork. We will also need title, year, description, measurements and materials please.

·         An artist statement.

·         A CV no more than two pages long.

·         A brief statement about what you hope to achieve by winning the award.

The closing deadline for online submission is 5 pm Tuesday, 13 October 2025.

Notification of all results will be sent by email in early December.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

By submitting an application, the entrant promises that all of the information comprised in the application is correct.

The entrant also promises to comply with these rules and any other Award requirements specified by the Society (whether on its website or otherwise) and the Society reserves its right to exclude any entry which in its opinion does not comply.

All applications must be made using this online form and all fields must be completed. No hard copy applications will be accepted. Applications must be received by the closing date specified.

Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. No responsibility can be accepted for applications which are incomplete, delayed or not received for whatever reason.

Regrettably incomplete applications will not be submitted to the selection committee for review and will therefore be classed as an unsuccessful application. Refunds will not be given for incomplete applications.

ELIGIBILITY

Applications are welcomed from early career artists of any age and nationality, with or without formal training, though not in formal education.

All styles of media are considered, including installation, site specific, performance, conceptual and video work.

A minimum of four years exhibiting experience is expected. Applicants,

UK based an international, must be committed to embracing all aspects of the Award and actively participate in all Award events.

Please note that present or past Royal Society of Sculptors members are not eligible to apply.

GBA MENTORING SESSIONS

By submitting an application the entrant, should they be successful and selected, is agreeing to attend all GBA mentoring sessions, please see future session dates below:

·         Monday 19 January 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 16 February 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 16 March 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 20 April 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 18 May 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 15 June 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 20 July 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 21 September 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 19 October 2026, 2-5 pm

·         Monday 16 November 2026, 2-5 pm

The above sessions will be a mixture of online and in person meetings.

Please note that if a successful entrant misses three or more mentoring sessions they will be excluded from the exhibition. If unable to attend a mentoring session in person, you may attend via Zoom.

SCULPTURE SLAM TALK AND GROUP EXHIBITION

By submitting an application the entrant, should they be successful and selected, is agreeing to participate in a Sculpture Slam talk and group exhibition with other successful entrants.