What are the Ruskin Prize Judges Looking For?

One of the UK’s fastest-growing multidisciplinary art prizes, the John Ruskin Prize is open to all artists, designers and makers from across the UK and internationally, responding to this year’s theme ‘Not for Present Delight’. 

Now in its ninth edition, the Prize continues to champion work that crosses boundaries between fine art, design and making, and to create a space for artists whose practices might not fit neatly into conventional categories.

This year's judging panel brings together four artists and makers whose practices span painting, design, and craft: figurative painter Miranda Forrester; artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman; artist and Artistic Director of the Royal Drawing School Ishbel Myerscough RA; and clay artist and curator Clare Twomey.

This year’s theme takes its inspiration from John Ruskin’s ‘The Seven Lamps of Architecture’, in which Ruskin urged architects and masons to build with the future in mind as much as the present. ‘Not for Present Delight’ expands this idea across the fine and applied arts, asking what it means to make with an awareness of consequence.

The theme broadly invites artists to think about the relationship between making and the future, but the judges each bring their own perspective.

Clare Twomey feels that “the purpose of art is implicit in the materials and the making… Artists make to explore and reflect a world that is emerging. Art is the way many of us navigate a complex world”.

For Ishbel Myerscough, the words initially suggest a contradiction. “‘Not for present delight’ is an interesting phrase, because everything should be for present delight” she says. “So I read that it should have longevity. It should delight for always… not a quick fizz”.

Image: Ishbel Myerscough. Photo credit: Jenny Lewis

Ishbel Myerscough is hoping to encounter work that is “beautifully and thoughtfully made” and that continues to give pleasure over time. This idea of lasting delight also resonates with one of this year’s awards, the Ruskin Mill Trust Prize (£3,000), awarded for a beautifully crafted functional object. There is something particularly enduring about an object that is not only made with care and attention, but becomes part of everyday life, designed to be used, lived with and appreciated over time.

Adam Nathaniel Furman sees the theme as an invitation to think beyond the immediate cultural moment. “‘Not for Present Delight’ is a reminder that the best work is built with an intensity of human intent that passes beyond our moment” he says.

In a time marked by environmental urgency and social inequality, the theme invites artists to consider how creative practices might help us understand, and potentially shape, the world ahead. Rather than prescribing what art should do, the theme opens up a conversation about intention: why we make, what we make with, who we make for, and what we hope our work might carry forward.

The exhibition welcomes work that acts as a tool for change or critique, while also posing a more open-ended question: must art serve a purpose beyond itself? Or can it exist simply for pleasure, independent of moral or social obligation?

Artwork by Adam Nathaniel Furman. Photo credit: Gareth Gardner

For the judges, one of the most exciting things about the John Ruskin Prize is the opportunity to encounter work and ideas that they might not otherwise come across.

“I always get excited about seeing new thoughts, fresh ideas and fascinating works” says Ishbel Myerscough.

For Adam Nathaniel Furman, the Prize "occupies a rare and vital space in the contemporary art world because it refuses to separate fine art from deep, physical craftsmanship” he says. “As someone whose practice sits between art, architecture, and decorative craft, I am looking forward to seeing work that embraces all kinds of interesting intersections”.

That openness to different forms of practice is central to the Ruskin Prize. Work can be submitted in any medium, including drawing, painting, print, sculpture, photography, textile, animation, mixed media, digital, performance, installation and more, with both individual artists and collectives eligible to enter.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the prize, there is no single kind of work the judges are looking for. Instead, their responses point towards a shared interest in work with a strong sense of intention.

Clare Twomey is looking forward to seeing “works that have knowledge of intention running through them”, and work that can connect with the world through “making, material and intention”.

Adam Nathaniel Furman is “looking forward to seeing work that displays a fierce commitment to its own internal logic and material execution” he says. “Whether that manifests as complex, physically demanding craftsmanship or a completely unique conceptual perspective, I want to see pieces where the ambition of the maker is undeniable”.

He is particularly interested in work that feels independent of current trends: “It is always refreshing to encounter work that stands completely on its own merits, free from the desire to merely replicate current institutional trends”.

Clare Twomey similarly wants to see work that responds to the world around it, “I am excited to see what is being made by artists who reflect on the world around them” she says. “I am excited to see what motivates them, what moves them, what the future looks like”.

Artwork: Monument - MIMA by Clare Twomey. Photo credit: Andy Paradise

For Adam Nathaniel Furman, the Prize is particularly suited to artists who work across disciplines or whose practices don’t fit easily into established categories.

“The art world can often feel narrow, but this prize actively seeks out those whose work defies easy categorisation” he says. “If your practice sits between disciplines, or if you are dedicated to the rigorous craft of making things that carry a deeper social, personal or alternative purpose, this is precisely the platform that will understand and value what you do”

And for Clare Twomey, entering is itself a valuable part of an artist’s development.

The 9th John Ruskin Prize is open to artists, designers and makers of all nationalities aged 18 and over. Work must have been made within the past four years and must engage with the theme ‘Not for Present Delight’. Submissions are digital, as all work will be viewed and judged digitally.

This year’s prizes include:

• 1st Prize: £3,000, made possible by support from John Ruskin’s charity, the Guild of St George
• The Alan Davidson Under 26 Prize: £1,000
• Ruskin Mill Trust Prize: £3,000, awarded for a beautifully crafted functional object
• Chelsea Arts Club Trust Prize: £2,500, awarded to a mid-career artist who has been dedicated to their practice for a significant number of years and is not currently under gallery representation
• The GreatArt People’s Choice Award: £500 worth of materials, plus £100 worth of materials for one lucky voter

Ishbel Myerscough puts it simply: "You’ve got to be in it, to win it. What have you got to lose? Life is about effort and chance… take a chance."

The deadline for entries is Tuesday 17th November, 5pm (GMT).