May 2026 Awards Roundup: Major Prizes Announced Across Arts
The Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize has been granted to Japanese artist Gozo Yoshimasu, with a total of £200,000 awarded biennially for the next ten years. Yoshimasu is set to showcase his work at Serpentine North in autumn 2027, followed by an exhibition at The FLAG Art Foundation in spring 2028. The nominees for the Turner Prize 2026 include Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, and Tanoa Sasraku, with the winner receiving £25,000, to be revealed on 10 December 2026. Additionally, the Women's Prize for Fiction will announce its winner in June for £30,000, while Niah McGiff received the RISE Emerging Artist Prize (£1,000). Other notable awards include Matteo Dal Maso winning the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition (£15,000) and joint winners Louise Desnos and Laura Pannack of the Belfast Photo Festival Spotlight Award (£2,000). The Pantomime Awards 2026 recognized Brian Conley and Lesley Joseph (Panto Icon Award), and Jethro Crabb received £5,000 from the Society of Portrait Sculptors. Open calls include the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, which closes on 9 June.
Key facts
- Gozo Yoshimasu awarded inaugural Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize (£200,000, biennial).
- Turner Prize 2026 nominees: Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, Tanoa Sasraku.
- Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist includes six novels; winner announced June 2026.
- Niah McGiff wins RISE Emerging Artist Prize (£1,000) at Henley Festival.
- Matteo Dal Maso wins Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition (£15,000).
- Louise Desnos and Laura Pannack joint winners of Belfast Photo Festival Spotlight Award.
- Brian Conley and Lesley Joseph receive inaugural Panto Icon Award.
- Museum of the Year 2026 finalists: National Gallery, V&A East Storehouse, The Box, Norwich Castle Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum.
Entities
Artists
- Gozo Yoshimasu
- Simeon Barclay
- Kira Freije
- Marguerite Humeau
- Tanoa Sasraku
- Susan Choi
- Addie E Citchens
- Lily King
- Rozie Kelly
- Virginia Evans
- Marcia Hutchinson
- Niah McGiff
- Yuchen Ge
- Mark Jackson
- Matteo Dal Maso
- Félix Benati
- Leonhard Kreutzmann
- Sir Antonio Pappano
- Sian Edwards
- Thomas Søndergård
- Sir James MacMillan
- Rachel Gough
- Sarah Quinn
- Louise Desnos
- Laura Pannack
- Brian Conley
- Lesley Joseph
- Terry Parsons
- Johnny McKnight
- Jethro Crabb
- Enzo Ferrari
- Charlotte Cundell
- Ayrton Senna
- Albert Kozak
- Artur Grottger
- Orli Ivanov
- Olivia Rowland
- Michael Rosen
- Debbie Millman
- Leah J. Williams
- Dr Diana Carroll
- Grizel Niven
Institutions
- Serpentine
- FLAG Art Foundation
- Take Ninagawa
- Tate Britain
- Teesside University
- Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art
- Women's Prize for Fiction
- Jonathan Cape
- Vintage
- Penguin Random House UK
- Europa Editions UK
- Canongate
- Saraband
- Michael Joseph
- Cassava Republic Press
- Henley Festival
- London Symphony Orchestra
- LSO St Luke's
- Belfast Photo Festival
- Belfast Botanic Gardens
- The Pantomime Association
- Art Fund
- The National Gallery
- V&A East Storehouse
- The Box
- Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
- Fitzwilliam Museum
- Society of Portrait Sculptors
- Trinity Buoy Wharf
- Royal Society of Marine Artists
- Martha Mills Young Writers Prize
- ArtsHub
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- The Australian
- Woman's Day
- B&T
- Vivid Sydney
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Tokyo
- Japan
- New York
- United States
- Middlesbrough
- Henley-on-Thames
- Belfast
- Plymouth
- Norwich
- Cambridge
- Imola
- Brazil
- Poland
- Tower Hamlets
- Newham
- Greenwich
- Adelaide
- Australia
- Sydney