Serpentine Galleries and FLAG Art Foundation have announced a biennial artist prize, granting £200,000 ($264,700) each to five artists, one selected every two years. This will be the largest single-artist prize awarded in the United Kingdom, distributing a total of £1 million ($1.32 million) over the next decade.
Each of the five selected artists will present a solo exhibition at Serpentine in London which will travel to the FLAG Art Foundation in New York. The prize will be inaugurated in 2026, with the first exhibition currently set for fall 2027 in London. It will then travel to New York in spring 2028.
“What makes this prize so significant is its focus on artists who have not yet received the visibility or recognition they deserve,” said Hans Ulrich Obrist, in a press statement. “This has long been central to Serpentine’s programme: from presenting the first U.K. monographic exhibitions for emerging artists to championing overlooked voices whose contributions merit greater acknowledgment.”
Eligible artists must be actively working, demonstrate a strong exhibition record, and have no more than 10 years of professional show history. A jury of art historians, curators, and artists will select the winning artists from nominations. Further details of the prize have yet to be announced.
“By collaborating with Serpentine to create this prize, we are reaffirming our institutional commitment to champion contemporary artists and to continue providing new opportunities for those artists to share their work with art-lovers everywhere,” said Glenn Fuhrman, founder of The FLAG Art Foundation, in a statement.
FLAG has spearheaded a similar program working to supply artists with direct funds. The Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize awards $200,000 to an artist and supports a solo exhibition at The Contemporary Austin in Texas and the FLAG Art Foundation in New York. Awarded artists include Nicole Eisenman in 2020, Tarek Atoui in 2022, Lubaina Himid in 2024, and Sable Elyse Smith in 2026.
