The Jury

Ella Ritchie is Co-Founder & Director of Intoart, with 25 years practice committed to social justice led by the creative ambition of learning disabled artists. Read more

Writer, curator and editor with roles at the Hayward Gallery, Tate and Migration Museum. Writing published by Hatje Cantz, Rizzoli and CURA; editor of Tate Dialogues: The 80s (2024). Read more

Daryl Branch is a cultural leader and creative strategist with 20+ years’ experience, serving as Artistic Director and CEO of Arts Outburst, leading place-based arts programmes that connect communities across Thurrock and South Essex. Read more

Artist, illustrator and founder of Re-education, an activist platform reimagining lifelong learning. Creative collaborator with adidas, Sky TV, Crocs and more, working at the intersection of self-expression, mental health and activism. Read more

Professor Jennifer Powell is Director of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and Barber Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham. Read more

Freelance critic and art historian specialising in Italian Renaissance art and works on paper. Regular contributor to Trois Crayons and FLO London, with writing in Print Quarterly and beyond. Curator of Ways of Perceiving at Apsara Studio. Read more

American-Austrian art historian, curator and podcaster based in London. Founder of the All About Art podcast, TEDx speaker, and author of Working in Art (Octopus, 2026). Co-director of NXT GEN, supporting early career arts professionals. Read more

Founder of Creative Debuts and Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree championing emerging artists through exhibitions, brand collaborations and community-led events. A leading voice for diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the contemporary art world. Read more

Art consultant and visual artist with a focus on disability arts, architecture, climate justice and design. Read more

Associate Professor and Head of Art & Design at Birmingham City University, based at the historic Birmingham School of Art. An inter-disciplinary artist working across photography, moving image, sound, songwriting and performance. Read more

CEO and Artistic Director of Stanley Arts in South London, leading the Arts Council England NPO. Two decades’ experience across artsdepot, Southbank Centre, Trinity Laban and Perth International Arts Festival. Read more

Artistic Director and CEO of Arts Collective (formerly NN Contemporary Art), Northampton’s National Portfolio Organisation, which opened its new £5.2 million artist-led home in May 2026. Member of the Arts Council England Area Council and Trustee of Northamptonshire Black History Association. Read more

Executive Director of First Light Festival CIC in Lowestoft, the National Portfolio Organisation behind the UK’s only free beach festival. Chair of the Lowestoft Cultural Education Partnership. Read more

Director of the Centre for Contemporary Art Derry~Londonderry (CCA), curating CCA’s international programme of experimental contemporary art. Former Artistic Director at NN Contemporary Art (now Arts Collective), Northampton. Read more

Curator, writer and academic leading the MA in Curating and Collections at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL. Research rooted in decolonial and feminist thought, collectivity and labour in contemporary art. Read more

Non-speaking curator, writer and cultural strategist working across Caribbean and diasporic contemporary art. Director of Black Curators Collective, Trustee of Nottingham Contemporary and Curator at Primary. Read more

Senior curator and founder of 8 Vine Yard Residency and co-founder of ArtLoft. Now building Ansaldo, connecting artists, galleries and institutions to develop long-term careers in the arts. Read more

Practicing artist, educator and founder of The Artist Advisor, mentoring over 200 artists across six years. Faculty at Contemporary Art Academy. Read more

Director of Exhibitions at Somerset House and former Senior Curator at the Hayward Gallery. Serving on the steering group for the Art Fund Curatorial Diversity Programme, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Read more

Managing Director of Imagineer Productions Read more

Head of Programme (Senior Curator) for John Hansard Gallery Read more

Award-winning artistic film maker, arts producer and film festival curator based in the West Midlands. Read more