Yorkshire Sculpture Park has opened applications for its 2026 Yorkshire Graduate Award, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the region’s next generation of artistic talent.
The annual initiative offers recent graduates from Yorkshire universities the chance to undertake a residency at the park, with access to dedicated time, workspace and professional guidance to develop their creative practice. Set within YSP’s internationally renowned landscape, the residency gives the selected artist an opportunity to experiment, build confidence and advance new work. It will conclude with a public presentation, enabling visitors to engage with the artist’s practice and ideas.
Artist residencies have been central to Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s programme for almost five decades, offering artists at pivotal stages of their careers the freedom to experiment, develop new ideas and expand their creative practice. Launched in 2018, the Yorkshire Graduate Award has since become an important springboard for emerging contemporary artists. The programme has supported graduates working across a diverse range of disciplines, including sculpture, performance, film, photography and sound.
The successful recipient of the 2026 Yorkshire Graduate Award will receive:
- A residency of up to two weeks at YSP;
- A fee of £750, plus up to £250 towards materials;
- On-site accommodation at YSP;
- Return UK travel expenses of up to £150;
- Food and hospitality;
- Support from YSP’s Curatorial team and a half-day of technical support from YSP’s Technical team;
- The opportunity to present their work to the public.
Jim Ever, the most recent recipient of the Yorkshire Graduate Award, shared his experience:
“Receiving the Yorkshire Graduate Award from YSP has been a formative experience in the early stages of my career. The combined experience of an on-site residency and the opportunity to exhibit has allowed me to work site-specifically across image, sound, sculpture and light, exploring the complex boundaries of the human and non-human world and acoustic ecology.
“I’m thankful for the generous and ongoing support from the team, and I’m looking forward to showcasing the work that’s been developing over recent months.”
Installed in ‘The Boathouse’ over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the exhibition will examine the connections between people and place while exploring the complex histories woven into the Yorkshire Sculpture Park landscape.
Jim Ever, the most recent recipient of the Yorkshire Graduate Award added:
“The work I’ve produced for YSP, which will culminate in an audiovisual installation/exhibition, is site-responsive, shaped by these ideas, questions and entanglement, drawing entirely from my experience during my 2026 residency. I’ve been working on a floor-based sculpture, a sound piece, and projected moving image, as well as image-based pieces… aiming to keep the presentation as subtle and nuanced as possible.”
Applications are open to recent BA and MA graduates from any Yorkshire-based university. Candidates are asked to submit a PDF of no more than five pages, including a brief statement about their current practice, details of their final degree project, examples of wider work and a simple outline of how they hope to use the residency. Plans are not expected to be fixed and may develop throughout the programme.
Written material can also be provided as an audio or video recording of up to five minutes. Yorkshire Sculpture Park welcomes applications from artists working across all disciplines and is committed to meeting individual access requirements.
The deadline for applications is 23 August, 2026. Submissions should be sent to curators@ysp.org.uk
