THE CRAFT PRIZE - John Smedley Knitwear & Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - FINALIST.
The John Smedley Craft Prize in partnership with The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust seeks to inspire and nurture British craftspeople who have honed exceptional skills across any discipline and who produce beautiful objects using traditional skills. Our aim is to value and understand craftsmanship on a wider scale and to help support craftspeople as they continue a legacy of traditional workmanship whilst creating contemporary products that capture attention on an international scale.
In 1784, John Smedley himself made a conscious decision to produce garments using only the finest noble yarns and the most honed of craft skills, creating a product that was artisan in nature and superior in its quality. This is a legacy that continues to this day and forms the inspiration for our John Smedley Craft Prize.
All entries to The Craft Prize have been asked to showcase how their ethos, inspiration, and portfolio of work champion the John Smedley values of British, Design, Quality, Colour, Craftsmanship and Community. Entries are accepted from any discipline and are a showcase of the artists existing work and their involvement with The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust either as a current scholar or alumni.
Whilst the entries have been shortlisted by our panel of judges, the final vote is yours and we encourage you to vote, share and champion your preferred artist via the links below.
The prize for the winning entry is valued at £15,000 and includes a cash prize, bespoke commission of works, an exhibition in London, UK and Kyoto, Japan including travel and accommodation plus the chance to retail their products across John Smedley’s UK & Japan stores. The winner will also benefit from business mentoring sessions with each of the judges.
Our Artists -
Frances Priest, Lucy May Schofield, Sahar Freemantle, Tom Vaughan, Zoe Wilson.
The following artists have all been shortlisted via our judging panel using the criteria detailed above. Their work demonstrates a superior commitment to modern craft and showcases an inspired selection of disciplines.
We invite you to now review their applications in detail, and ensure you vote and share to aid your chosen artist in winning The Craft Prize.
Voting will now close on the 3rd March 2022.
The winner will be announced on the 4th March 2022.
Cast your VOTE for the winning maker.