The Prize

ACS is offering a recent graduate the chance to win £6,000 to contribute to the cost of an artist’s studio in the UK.

This year, ACS has partnered with Gurr Johns International, a global independent art advisory and appraisal group, to offer this year’s five finalists the opportunity to take part in a group exhibition at Gurr Johns. The exhibition will take place at their St James’s first-floor gallery for one week.

Additionally, Gurr Johns’ Director of Contemporary Art, Shea Goli, will also be offering a one-on-one mentoring session with each of the finalists.

ACS is delighted to announce that this year’s Studio Prize will be judged by artist and celebrated YBA Mat Collishaw, Director of Pallant House Gallery, Simon Martin and the Managing Director of ACS, Lady Bridgeman.

The Studio Prize was established after a number of our members’ spoke of the economic challenges they faced when starting their artistic careers. ACS realises how difficult it is to focus on your art especially after leaving university. The ACS Studio Prize was founded to help.

If you are a UK or EEA national and are an undergraduate or postgraduate university student on an accredited art course who is about to graduate, or if you have graduated from a university accredited art course within the last four years, and you work in pictures, collage, painting, sculpture, tapestry, ceramics, glassware or photography, then you are eligible to apply for the prize.

Who we are

ACS was formed in 2006 as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company to administer Artist’s Resale Right and copyright on behalf of our members. Since 2006 our membership has grown to over 1,500 artists and artists’ estates. Our members range from renowned artists such as Frank Auerbach, Cecily Brown and Eileen Cooper, to estates of artists including Lucian Freud, Franz West, Paula Rego and Barbara Hepworth. We are also proud to represent artists whose work has only recently started to sell regularly on the UK secondary market such as Bambi, Pablo Bronstein and Eine.

As a Community Interest Company ACS operates solely for the benefit of our member artists. This means that any surplus income is locked into the company and used for the benefit of our member artists and the artistic community.

ACS is proud to fund bursaries for art students at leading institutions, whilst sponsoring a number of art prizes and charities. The Artists’ Collecting Society Studio Prize is just one such example.

How to enter

The Prize officially opens on 1 April 2023 and closes on 30 June 2023. You can enter the Prize here.

For more information about ACS and what we do, please visit the About Us page or email one of the ACS team.

Who we support