New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize 2026

The New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize 2026 is now underway, in collaboration with Fine Art departments across the UK.

The Prize exists because great artists disappear all the time. Talent alone does not determine whether an artist survives. Some have enough structure around them to continue making work long enough for it to mature; others do not. When that happens, culture itself becomes narrower.

Each year, the Prize brings together a curated selection of works by graduating artists nominated by their tutors and lecturers. It recognises serious artistic talent at an early stage and introduces selected artists to a wider audience of collectors, curators, and the press.

Founded in 2023, the Prize highlights exceptional emerging artists at a critical transition point, offering visibility, early professional opportunities, and connections to broader curatorial and collector networks. Its inaugural exhibition took place at Saatchi Gallery, London.

It also offers something rare: a national view of emerging practice as it forms, seen through tutor nominations and New Blood Art’s curatorial eye. The Prize sits within more than two decades of New Blood Art’s work with emerging artists across the UK. Nominated artists and works are now beginning to arrive.

These are the artists to pay attention to now – and to collect early. You can view the first arrivals here.

⊹₊ ⋆ 2026 Emerging Art Prize Nominees ⋆ ₊⊹