The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, a prestigious international award celebrating excellence in craftsmanship, has opened submissions for its 2025 edition. Established in 2016 by Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, the prize recognizes talented artisans who push the boundaries of traditional craft techniques.
Founded in 1988 by Enrique Loewe Lynch, a fourth-generation member of Loewe’s founding family, the Loewe Foundation is a private cultural organization dedicated to promoting creativity, education, and heritage preservation in poetry, dance, photography, art, and craft.
Submissions may be made individually or as a group; and to participate, artists must submit:
- A fully completed online registration form.
- 2-5 high-quality photos of the work (or series) to be submitted from different angles – a video is however preferred.
- A brief conceptual statement about the work.
- All entries in English language.
Eligibility criteria include:
- Age: 18 and above.
- Nationality: Open to artists worldwide.
- Artistic Intent: The work must demonstrate artistic intent and technical proficiency.
- Originality: The work must be original (handmade or partly handmade) and created within the past five years.
- Innovation: The work must be an original, one-of-a-kind piece that updates traditional techniques within the applied arts, including ceramics, bookbinding, enamelwork, jewellery, lacquer, metal, furniture, leather, textiles, glass, paper, wood, and other related disciplines, without having received any previous awards or recognition.
The Expert Panel includes members such as Andrew Bonacina, an independent art curator; Antonia Boström, an art historian, museum professional, exhibition curator and consultant; Ibrahim Mahama, a Ghanaian large-scale installation artist; and Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, an architecture and design correspondent for El País (she is also a member of the Jury).
They will evaluate and select 30 submissions and deliver them to a Jury composed of 13 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism, criticism, and museum curatorship, who will then select the winner of the 2025 Craft Prize. Their professional evaluation will ensure that the winner demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship, innovative design, and artistic vision.
Some of the Jury members are, Jonathan Anderson, the Loewe Creative Director; Andrés Anza, the winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2024; Sheila Loewe (Chairwoman), the President of the Loewe Foundation; Magdalene Odundo, a Kenyan-British ceramicist; and Abraham Thomas, Curator of Modern Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Submissions for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2025 will be accepted until the 30th of October, 2024. The winner will receive 50,000 euros, and be announced in the spring of 2025 at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid. Also, the shortlisted (finalists’) and winning works will feature in the exhibition at the museum and the accompanying catalogue in Madrid in the Spring of 2025.
Past winners include Eriko Inazaki (2023), Dahye Jeong (2022), Genta Ishizuka (2019), Jennifer Lee (2018), and Ernst Gamperl (2017), who have all showcased remarkable craftsmanship in various categories. The prize has become a leading platform for promoting craftsmanship, innovation, and cultural heritage.
With ties with the Victoria and Albert Museum, through the craft prize founder’s —Jonathan Anderson— position on their Board of Trustees, and partnerships with esteemed institutions like the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Design Museum to exhibit finalists’ works, the Loewe Foundation accentuates the importance of craftsmanship in contemporary culture.
This recognition inspires a new generation of artisans, preserving traditional techniques while fostering creativity and innovation. With its global reach and prestigious reputation, the prize continues to celebrate the beauty and significance of handmade craftsmanship.
For more information and to submit your entry, visit the Loewe Foundation’s website.
