Useful & Beautiful Art Prize

Useful & Beautiful Art PrizeDeadline: 30/09/2026City: Birmingham | Country: United Kingdom | Olivia Johnson HylandReport this? Description Opportunity FAQs Make a submission Contact curator The Useful and Beautiful Art Prize is a new award established by the William Morris Society to celebrate and support emerging artists, designers, and craftspeople whose work reflects the ideas and ideals of William Morris. The Prize is guided by Morris’s belief that art is both Useful and Beautiful, inseparable from everyday life, work, and nature. It is guided by the following quotes and principles drawn from his writing and practice: “Art has remembered the people, because they created.” “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” "Wherever nature works there will be beauty" “Art should not be separate from life, but embedded within it” "Art made by the people, for the people, as a joy to the maker and the user." “Artists cannot help themselves; they are driven to create by their nature, but for that nature to truly thrive, we need to preserve the precious habitat in which that beauty can flourish.” The Useful and Beautiful Prize aims to: Support and showcase emerging artists, designers, and makers Encourage work rooted in craft, process, usefulness, and meaning Reconnect Morris’s ideas with contemporary practice and lived experience Provide a national platform for crafters and creatives Promote sustainability, care, and material awareness in making Promote the objects of the charity; to share knowledge of the life and works of William Morris to a global audience and to preserve the house and collection in perpetuity It asks a simple but poignant question: What does it mean today to make things that are both useful and beautiful?Entrants may submit work across any of the following broad themes: Craft & Material – hands-on making rooted in material knowledge and process, including but not limited to: textiles, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, woodworking, stained glass, furniture craft and natural dyes. Pattern & Design – artwork, design, illustration, interior design or digital work informed by the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Nature, Sustainability & Environment – work engaging with natural materials, ecological awareness, sustainability, or environmental themes inspired by Morris’s relationship with nature. Literature & Creative Writing – poetry, fiction, essay, and other writing that reflects Morris's belief that art and politics are inseparable, including themes of work, craft, community, and social reform. Each submission must include: Digital images of the work (3-4 images; maximum size each 4MB, JPEG or PNG format). A written statement of no more than one side of A4 (approximately 500 words) explaining how William Morris has inspired your work and how it engages with the Prize themes. A completed submission form, including the entrant’s name and contact details. Submissions may be finished works or prototypes. All physical works must not exceed: 1 metre squared in overall dimensions (height x width), and 10 kg in weight. No live organic materials to be used, such as soil. AI usage prohibited. Entries using AI will be disqualified. Entrants may submit up to two works for consideration. Each work requires a separate submission form and statement.Important:Please make sure you read the FAQs for further information and Terms and Conditions. The Prize is administered by the William Morris Society (“the Organiser”), a registered charity in England and Wales. Make a submission Contact the curator When is the submission deadline? 30th September, 2026 at midnight When will the finalists be announced? 30th October, 2026 When is the finalists' presentations and winner announced? 22nd November, 2026 at the Birmingham and Midland Institute during MorrisFest. Eligibility The Prize is FREE to enter and is open to: • Artists, designers, makers, and craftspeople of all backgrounds, ages, and stages of practice. You do not have to be a professional artist to enter. We welcome applications from everyone. • Individuals and collaborative groups (where a group submits, one named individual must act as the lead contact and accept the Terms and Conditions on behalf of the group). • Entrants must be based in the United Kingdom The following are not eligible to enter: • Members of the WMS Prize judging panel, or anyone involved in administering the Prize. • Employees or Trustees of the William Morris Society. • Immediate family members of any of the above. What are the submission requirements? Each submission must include: • Digital images of the work (3-4 images; maximum size each 4MB, JPEG or PNG format). • A written statement of no more than one side of A4 (approximately 500 words) explaining how William Morris has inspired your work and how it engages with the Prize themes. • A completed submission form, including the entrant’s name and contact details. Submissions may be finished works or prototypes. All physical works must not exceed: • 1 metre squared in overall dimensions (height x width), and • 10 kg in weight. • No live organic materials to be used, such as soil. • AI usage prohibited. Entries using AI will be disqualified. How many entries can I submit? Entrants may submit up to two works for consideration. Each work requires a separate submission form and statement. How will I be judged? Works will be assessed against the following equally weighted criteria: • Usefulness & Beauty – Usefulness & Beauty – the integration of function, meaning, and aesthetic value in the work. • Making & Process – Making & Process – the clarity, integrity, and intelligence of craft or production method. • Meaning & Originality – Meaning & Originality – the relevance of the work to contemporary life and the originality of the entrant’s response to Morris’s ideas. • Engagement with Nature & Sustainability – Engagement with Nature & Sustainability – sensitivity to ma