About AWARD

At the heart of this international ceramics festival is the headline exhibition AWARD. AWARD is a prestigious exhibition that celebrates the vitality and standing of contemporary ceramics practice in the UK located within in the rich context of the history of British ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent. AWARD is a unique platform for UK-based contemporary artists working in clay, giving them the opportunity to push the boundaries of both their practice and the ceramics status quo. 

During the festival, one of these artists will be awarded a £5,000 prize for excellence, innovation and creative ambition and an exhibition in the next BCB festival. 

The new work by these artists will take audiences on a journey of ceramics practice through sculpture, installation, animation and function. Using glacial clay, print, mosaics, neon lights, life drawing, fluxing clays, technology and more, these artists speak to a number of themes and issues including highlighting the migrant journey in seeking refuge, making starkly visible the inevitability of rising sea levels, exploring narratives of self through humor, sharing a meal with our families and the hyper local experience many will have had during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Exhibiting Artists

The ten artists who have been selected to exhibit new work for AWARD this year are:  

Alison Cooke
Alison Cooke website link.

Christie Brown
Christie Brown website link.

Cleo Mussi
Cleo Mussi website link.

Connor Coulston
Connor Coulson website link.

Helen Beard
Helen Beard website link.

Ho Lai
Ho Lai website link.

Jin Eui Kim
Jin Eui Kim website link.

Mawuena Kattah
Mawuena Kattah website link.

Stephen Dixon
Stephen Dixon website link.

Tamsin van Essen
 Tamsin van Essen website link.

Supported By

AWARD 2021 is supported by Arts Council England, Burslem Jubilee Project, Craft Potters Association, Intoart, Manchester Metropolitan University, Messums Wiltshire.