The Mark Tanner Sculpture Award
The Mark Tanner Sculpture Award (MTSA) is the most significant award for emerging artists working in the field of sculpture in the UK. The award offers £10,000 in financial support towards the production of new work, plus a funded solo touring exhibition to an exceptional sculptor.
We seek to reward outstanding and innovative practice in the field of sculpture and are particularly interested in work that demonstrates a commitment to process, or sensitivity to material. The recipient is selected from an open call by a panel of guest judges. There is no age limit, applicants are judged on the quality of their work and the ability of the award to make a beneficial impact on their practice and future development.
Standpoint maintains a supportive, mentoring role over the twelve-month period of the award. This includes arranging a series of mentoring studio visits with prominent arts professionals and writers of the award winner’s choosing.
Katharina Fitz
Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2026-27
Standpoint is delighted to announce Katharina Fitz has won the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2026-27.
Fitz, who lives and works in Nottingham, is the 24th winner of the annual sculpture prize and receives: £10,000 towards the production of new work over the coming year; a funded solo exhibition at Standpoint in 2027; and a National Touring Programme.
Katharina was selected from over 340 entries by a judging panel comprising: Holly Hendry, Artist; Melanie Pocock, Artistic Director (Exhibitions), Ikon Gallery; Rebecca Scott, Director, Cross Lane Projects and Mark Tanner Trust; and Clara Hastrup, MTSA winner 2025-26.
Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2026-27
Applications now closed.
MTSA Limited Edition Prints
Limited edition lithographs for sale.
MTSA Publications
MTSA Archives
Thanks to the invaluable support of our previous guest selectors and mentors:
Artists: Alice Channer, Frances Upritchard, Mike Nelson RA, Eva Rothschild RA, Anne Hardy, Cathie Pilkington RA, Richard Deacon CBE RA, Cathy de Monchaux, Cornelia Parker OBE RA, Hew Locke, Rachel Whiteread CBE, Alison Wilding RA, Denise deCordova, Conrad Shawcross RA, Phyllida Barlow CBE RA and Richard Wilson RA.
Directors & Curators (associated institution at the time of judge): Gemma Brace (Arnolfini), Claire Feeley (Jupiter Artland), Jane Bhoyroo (Leeds Art Gallery); Lewis Gilbert (New Art Centre); Sam Thorne (Nottingham Contemporary); Simon Wallis (Hepworth Wakefield); Clare Lilley (Yorkshire Sculpture Park); Tim Marlow (Royal Academy); Lisa Le Feuvre (Henry Moore Institute); Penelope Curtis (Tate Britain); and Laurence Sillars (BALTIC).
Mentors and writers: Tom McCarthy, writer and artist; Sarah Coulson, curator, Yorkshire Sculpture Park; Alice Channer, artist; Ellen Mara De Wachter, writer; Alison Wilding, artist; Mike Nelson, artist; Peter Suchin, writer; Ilsa Colsell, writer; Nicholas Stavri, curator; Kathy MacCarthy, artist; Martha Barratt, writer; Laura Smith, curator, Whitechapel; Tim Dixon, director, Matts Gallery; Graham Burn, architect, Studio MUTT; and Mary Doyle, co-Director, Drawing Room.
Touring partners: Cross Lane Projects, Kendal; esea contemporary, Manchester; Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre, Greater Manchester; and Tremenheere Sculpture Park, Penzance.
Background of the MTSA
Mark Tanner was a British Sculptor who trained at St. Martin's College of Art and had been associated with Standpoint since its inception. He worked mainly in steel, and was one of the first artists to show in Standpoint Gallery. He died in 1998 after a long illness.
The Mark Tanner Award was established in 2001, on the initiative of and with full sponsorship from a private charitable trust, to keep alive the passion and enthusiasm he had for the making of art.