Young Masters Awards 2025: A Round Of Applause For Our Winners And Highly Commended Artists!

What a night! The Young Masters Valentine’s Eve Jazz Benefit Concert was nothing short of spectacular; a celebration of talent, creativity, and the incredible community that makes it all possible. We’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment, and it exceeded every expectation.

A huge thank you to our generous sponsors and supporters, including Dr. Chris Blatchley, Lady Jill Shaw Ruddock, The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts, The Rudolph Blume Foundation, Brownhill Insurance Group and The Kirsh Foundation. Your commitment to emerging talent continues to shape the future of contemporary art.

Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for; congratulations to our outstanding winners and highly commended artists.

Alexandra Baraitser, Lady Jill Shaw Ruddock,Dr. Chris Blatchley, Cynthia Valianti Corbett, Emilia Momen, Lucy Newman (left to right)

Young Masters Woman Artist Award 2025

Winner: Emilia Momen
Generously sponsored by Dr. Chris Blatchley

The Young Masters Woman Artist Award celebrates the exceptional contribution of women in the arts. This year, we are proud to honor Emilia Momen for her remarkable work.

Highly Commended:

  • Blair Martin Cahill

  • Kelsey Shultis

  • Lucy Newman

  • Alexandra Baraitser

Young Masters Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Award 2025

Winner: Carlton Scott Sturgill
Generously sponsored by The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts

The Young Masters Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Award recognizes outstanding artistic achievement, and we are pleased to announce Carlton Scott Sturgill as this year’s recipient.

Young Masters Rudolph Blume Foundation Acquisition Award 2025

Winner: Sarah Jane Moon
Generously sponsored by Brad Blume, art collector and President of The Rudolph Blume Foundation.

The Rudolph Blume Foundation Acquisition Award honors artists whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity. Sarah Jane Moon has been selected for her distinctive and captivating contributions to the art world.

Highly Commended:

  • Jo Holdsworth

  • James Robert Morrison

  • Cristina Schek

Young Masters People’s Choice Award 2025

First Prize Winner: Cristina Schek
Second Prize Winner: Alexandra Baraitser
Generously sponsored by The Brownhill Insurance Group

The People's Choice Award is a unique honor, as it reflects the support and admiration of the public. We are thrilled to announce Cristina Schek as the First Prize winner for this year and Alexandra Baraitser as Second Prize Winner.

Jo Holdsworth, James Robert Morrison, Cristina Schek, Brad Blume, Cynthia Valianti Corbett, Sarah Jane Moon (left to right)

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors

We would like to extend a special thank you to all of our sponsors, whose support makes the Young Masters Awards possible year after year. Your commitment to fostering emerging artists is invaluable to the growth and development of the arts community.

Photography credit: Cristina Schek

Young Masters Artist Amy Hughes Shortlisted For The Brookfield Properties Craft Award 2023

We are thrilled that the wonderful and talented Young Masters Artist  Amy Hughes has been shortlisted for The Brookfield Properties Craft Award 2023 and we are looking forward to debut new work by Amy at Collect Art Fair on display at Somerset House from 3-5 March 2023 (Previews 1-2 March, 2023), and online at artsy.net, 1-12 March 2023

On its fourth edition, the Brookfield Properties Craft Award in partnership with the Crafts Council is pleased to announce the five makers in the running for this year’s prize.

Now established as one of the leading national prizes for contemporary craft, the Brookfield Properties Award annually commends the achievements of a maker who has significantly shaped the story and success of craft across the UK.

The 2023 shortlist are textile artist Alice Kettle, ceramicist Amy Hughes, material-led artist Anne-Laure Cano, ceramic sculptor Noa Chernichovsky and multi-disciplinary artist Samuel Nnorom.

Judges narrowed down the five shortlisted makers from a selection of over 400 artists displaying at the upcoming 19th edition of Collect, the leading international fair for contemporary design and craft.

The winning maker will be announced during a ceremony at the fair and will receive a prize package equivalent to £60 000, including a solo exhibition curated by the Crafts Council and displayed across two Brookfield Properties’ London locations this summer.

“As a leading global developer of real estate, Brookfield Properties believes in the unique ability of art and culture to transform spaces and bring people together and provide inspiration. That is why we are proud to sponsor this award for the fourth year to spotlight the best and brightest of British craft talent” – Saff Williams, Brookfield Properties’ Curatorial Director, Europe.

This year’s awarded maker will join past winners Matt Smith (Cynthia Corbett Gallery) in 2020, Anna Ray (House on Mars) in 2021, and Christian Ovonlen (Intoart) in 2022. Their selected piece will be generously acquired by Brookfield Properties for the Crafts Council Collection, which comprises over 1,700 works

Brookfield Properties founded the Craft Award in 2020 as part of their belief in the unique ability of art and culture to transform public space. The Crafts Council is pleased to partner with Brookfield Properties Craft Award once again, to recognise the achievements of the winning maker and to champion craft in the public art sphere.

Collect Art Fair is on display at Somerset House from 3-5 March 2023 (Previews 1-2 March, 2023), and online at artsy.net, 1-12 March 2023.

Young Masters Benefit Jazz Concert, 14th December 2022 at The Exhibitionist Hotel, London

The countdown to our special fundraising concert is officially on. Book your ticket now for the 14th of December at The Exhibitionist Hotel: Jazz Concert to Benefit Young Masters Art Prize with special guests to include Pianist & Composer Ed Rice and the brilliant singers Winnie Greer & Kerry Jo Hodgkin.

Please book your Jazz Concert ticket here.

 

Young Masters Autumn Exhibition is open 24/7 and free to visit at the Exhibitionist and Gainsborough Hotels in South Kensington. We hope you will enjoy our curation and consider adding to your collection.

Flowers from the Frontline

An Exhibition of Ukrainian war flowers and a series of fine jewellery miniature pressed flower books on show at the Archivist exhibit at The Garden Museum, London. November 12th - December 22nd 2022. Three artists; jewellery designer Phoebe Walsh, painter Olga Morozova and filmmaker Carmela Corbett are collaborating on this ongoing project. Olga Morozova’s work Fortifications Of The City, 2022 is also part of the Young Masters Autumn Exhibition open to the public until January 10th 2023 at the Exhibitionist Hotel in South Kensington.

British jewellery designer Phoebe Walsh has created a series of 5 miniature flower pressing books in recycled Sterling Silver, each containing a single war flower from the new frontlines in Kyiv. The project began in March when a brave Kyivian artist Olga Morozova agreed to go searching for flowers as her city fell ablaze. In addition to the exhibition Flowers from the Frontline at the Garden Museum, Olga Morozova was selected to participate in the non-for-profit initiative Young Masters Art Prize exhibition 2022. Filmmaker Carmela Corbett is currently working on a feature length documentary entitled Flowers from the Frontline, which will explore the artist’s life and the power of art created during war.

 

‘Flowers from the Frontline’ Series will be on show at the Archivist exhibit, in the Garden Museum in London, from November 12th to December 22nd 2022. After touring, the series will be auctioned individually to raise money for Artists in Ukraine: https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/

Contact hello@phoebewalshjewellery.com to find out more.

 

Each of the five miniature books at the Archivist exhibit is small enough to fit on the palm of your hand. Engraved on the front with wildflowers, a trident on the spine and a single solitary sunflower frames the back. A single rotating page inside each book contains a moment of flourishing frozen in time - a single botanical picked from an unknown park in Kyiv as war descended. The war flowers, smuggled from Ukraine in books that once celebrated the great architecture of Kyiv, were picked by artist Olga Morozova in the first spring as frost thawed and bombing raids tormented Kyiv.

 

Phoebe commented, “It was two days after Russia launched its assault on Ukraine, that I found myself seeking solitude in flowers at the Garden Museum, burying my head in old pressings of medicinal plants from 17th century. There I was unable to find the words, to channel my feelings, and dreaming of remedies, methods of escaping the terrible events unfurling.” The objects intend to spark a much needed conversation about the continued atrocities happening in Ukraine. The series is a symbol of hope and flourishing in a time of great suffering. A reminder that the fragility of life can be restored. Alongside artwork created by Olga is Phoebe’s latest collection, Loveletter to Kyiv each design containing war flowers cast within and raising 20% for Ukrainian artists and charities.

Phoebe Walsh is a London based jeweller who creates botanical inspired jewellery that celebrates the humblest of forms in finely textured silver and gold, such as Blades of Common Grass. Her designs weave together elements from the natural world, myth and folklore. Forever the nature enthusiast, Phoebe seeks to connect her wearers to the life growing around us through her designs.

 

Olga Morozova is a Ukrainian artist born in Kyiv. She received a master's degree in painting from the National Academy of Arts and Architecture in 1998. She has participated in more than twenty solo exhibitions and over one hundred group exhibitions and international projects. In 2019, Morozova represented Ukraine in Dubai at the exhibition ‘Women Artists from 100 Countries’; in 2022 she took part in the exhibition of Ukrainian artists as part of the Venice Biennale; and in December 2022 she will represent Ukraine at the Asian Art Bienniale in Bangladesh. Morozova consciously chose the Fauvist palette, adopting the strong colours and fierce brushwork style. Working intuitively, Morozova boldly layers colours to create eye-catching compositions. The powerful temperament of an outwardly fragile woman is embodied in the graphic focus on the motif, in expressive and improvisational writing, in ornamental and decorative solutions. Morozova’s paintings are impressive, like stained glass windows, and create a luminous aura around them. Olga Morozova’s painting Fortifications Of The City, 2022 (Oil, sackcloth, trench sand) is also part of the Young Masters Autumn Exhibition 2022 open to the public until January 10th 2023 at the Exhibitionist Hotel in South Kensington. Details below.

Carmela Corbett is an actress, writer and producer who sings. She has performed on stage in major theatres in London's West End and in both New York and Los Angeles. On-screen, she has appeared as Lola in the BBC series Undercover, and in the final season of the highly popular Mad Men.  In October 2020 Carmela wrote, produced and starred in the upcoming British short film, Her Majesty, executive produced by Pete Townshend and directed by Rebekah Fortune. The film premiered at the Oscar/BAFTA qualifying LA Shorts 2021. Most recently Carmela won a best actress award for her work in the film at both The Strasberg film festival and the Midlands Film Awards UK. The film won Best Drama Short from the New Renaissance Festival Amsterdam 2022, Audience Choice award from HollyShorts 2022 and multiple accolades from the Lee Strasberg Film Festival 2022.  She is the director of Production Company, Corbett Productions and lives in New York City where she mentors and teaches young performers both privately and in a class setting.

 

 

Flowers from the Frontline at The Garden Museum, London

November 12th - December 22nd 2022

Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7LB

 

The Young Masters Autumn Exhibition 2022 | Press Release

A the Exhibitionist and Gainsborough Hotels in South Kensington

October 10th 2022 - January 10th 2023

8-10 Queensberry Pl, South Kensington, London SW7 2EA

Flowers from the Frontline Press Release

Amartey Golding | New from Emerging Photographers

In 2017, Golding was shortlisted for the Young Masters Art Prize. In 2018 the artist had his biggest solo show to date 'Is it just me, or is it you?' which premiered at University of Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre in Association with Young Masters. Amartey is fast attracting the attention of the international arts scene, becoming renowned for his supercharged, super sleek moving images and photography work. The Young Masters Alumnus was featured as one of the emerging photographers pushing their medium on Artsy.

Claire Partington | Historical Fiction

Spanning ten years of her artistic practice, Partington’s exquisite monograph is beautifully presented by KochXBos, Amsterdam and features selected highlights from 2011 – 2021, illustrated with lavish photography over 220 pages. With insight from the Artist herself and text contributions by Danielle Thom (Curator Museum of London), Amy Orrock (Senior Curator Compton Verney) and Curator and Educator Michael Czerwinski, the book offers a glimpse into Partington’s working methods and the concepts behind the works.

Available to Preorder
Book release planned for March 2022

Giggs Kgole and NFTs | 10 January 2022

The youngest artist ever to be shortlisted as a finalist for the Young Masters Art Prize, Giggs Kgole, is expanding his practice to encompass NFTs. His newly launched Foundation Collection includes the artist's first NFT, minted on January 10, 2022. What Dreams Are Made Of was originally created in 2016 and completed in 2017 as part of a three part animation which later will be turned into a live Opera, in collaboration with wonTon, co-founder of The Modern Way Collection.

Click here to view the NFT

Cynthia Corbett on ITV News | 10 January 2022

As the Founder of not-for-profit platform the Young Masters Art Prize, Cynthia Corbett is often approached to give her views about young & emerging artists. In this case, the artist was unknown to her having not seen the artwork in person. However the whole ethos of Young Masters is to nurture talent at the early career stages of artists who look to history in their work, which the artist called Rhed does.

Young Masters supports artists from all backgrounds ages and education – regardless of whether they use a pseudonym or work under their original name.

Watch the excerpt from ITV News at 10!

Click Here to watch the excerpt

Fabriano Parisi | International Photography Awards

International Photography Awards | 4 November 2021

DAYDREAMING

 

We are delighted that artist, Fabiano Parisi has received the Prize: Honorable Mention from the International Photography Awards.

A series of images taken during the Covid-19 lockdown in Italy. The cities were silent and deserted, bordering the surreal. The night vision of the empty city is mixed with bright cloudy skies, shooted from my flat's window during the daytime. The luminosity of the sky becomes unsettling, making the empty darkness below even more impenetrable than it would seem in a normal context.

Amanda McCavour | The Delaplaine Arts Center

The Delaplaine Arts Center | 4 September 2021

Embroidered Spaces
Embroidery installations
Sep 4–Oct 31

McCavour uses a sewing machine to create thread drawings and installations. Through an exploration of line and its 2–D and 3–D implications, stitch is used to explore various concepts such as connections to home, the fibers of the body, and more formal considerations of thread’s accumulative presence.

About the Delaplaine

Housed in the 100-year-old Mountain City Mill on the banks of Carroll Creek in historic downtown Frederick, The Delaplaine Arts Center has been serving the community since 1986. This vibrant nonprofit organization welcomes more than 80,000 visitors each year to the 40,000-square-foot flagship of the arts featuring:

  • 7 on-site galleries, showcasing works by regional and national artists in more than 50 exhibitions annually

  • 8 spacious studios, housing more than 250 classes and workshops for all ages each year

  • The Etchison Davis Library, one of the largest, free art references libraries open to the public in Maryland

  • The Community Art Gallery and the Community Outreach Gallery, featuring artworks created by local students and community groups

  • An Art History Timeline, offering glimpses from the prehistoric area to the 1970s

  • The Our Industrial Past panel exhibit, telling the story of our historic building

  • Beautiful Gardiner Hall, the most popular and reasonable priced event venue in downtown Frederick

  • The Gift Gallery at the Delaplaine, a retail shop supporting local artists in our community

  • The historic Mountain City Mill building itself, an adaptive reuse success story

The Delaplaine also manages three satellite galleries in partnership with the Frederick County Public Libraries. Satellite galleries are located at the Brunswick Branch Library, Thurmont Regional Library, and Urbana Regional Library.

The Delaplaine also offers family-friendly events, one-day workshops, gallery talks, and multi-day Master Artist Workshops, and more to round out the educational experience. Programs are offered both on-site and online. Visit Programs at a Glance for information about upcoming activities.