Loewe Foundation announces finalist shortlist for Craft Prize 2026

The Loewe Foundation has announced the shortlist for the 2026 edition of its Craft Prize. The winner and two special mentions will be announced on May 12, and the finalists' works will be exhibited at the National Gallery in Singapore from May 13 until June 14, 2026.

The 30 finalists this year were chosen from over 5,100 submissions by artists representing 133 countries and regions. Their creations, which span a range of media including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, furniture, bookbinding, glass, metal, jewelry and lacquer, was selected for technical accomplishment, innovation and artistic vision.

Many of the works on this year's shortlist approach craft as a mindful negotiation between balance, instability and tension. They subtly unsettle ordered systems with shifts in color palettes, rupturing smooth surfaces or softening, warpingand displacing precise geometries. Drawing on different cultural traditions and practices from basketry and textiles to dyeing and architecture, the creations express craft as a living language shaped by both continuity and disruption.

Sheila Loewe, President of the LoeweFoundation, says: "The Craft Prize continues to reveal the extraordinary diversity and ambition of contemporary craft. The works shortlisted for the 2026 edition demonstrate how deeply rooted traditions can be reimagined through innovation, skill and imagination. Bringing this exhibition to Singapore reflects the global dialogue at the heart of the Prize and our ongoing commitment to supporting artists at pivotal moments in their careers."