Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture

Annual award for public sculpture in the UK or Ireland

The Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture is an annual award for public sculpture in the UK or Ireland.^[1]^[2]

The Award is funded by the Marsh Charitable Trust and is made on the recommendation of a panel of judges under the auspices of the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (PSSA), formerly the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA).

Scope and ceremonies

The award is generally made to a work of new sculpture, which has to be erected in a place accessible to the public. However awards have also been made to restorations of historic sculpture and in 2011 an award was made to the town of Harlow in Essex for its work in creating an environment for sculpture in the town and promoting this as Harlow Sculpture Town.

The Award Ceremony is held annually at the PMSA headquarters in Cowcross Street, London, every November, although in 2009 it was held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, when it was presented by Boris Johnson.

The PMSA also organises a biennial award for public fountains in association with the Marsh Christian Trust. The Trust also organises other awards in arts, heritage, conservation and the environment and social welfare, with other organisations.

Past winners

Winners of the Marsh Award for Public Sculpture include:^[3]

2006: Maggi Hambling for Scallop
2006: Jim Hurley & his team for restoration of the Sheffield Cholera Monument
2007: Bryan Kneale RA, for Capt Quilliam
2007: James Turrell for Deer Shelter Skyspace (at Yorkshire Sculpture Park)
2008: SI Applied Ltd for Cutting Edge, Sheffield, Yorkshire
2008: Ian Rank-Broadley for the Armed Forces Memorial
2009: Jaume Plensa for Dream
2010: Peter W. Naylor for the Memorial to 158 Squadron
2011: Andrew Sabin for The Coldstones Cut^[4]
2011: Harlow Art Trust, for Harlow Sculpture Town^[5]
2012: Gordon Young for Comedy Carpet
2012: Carmody Groarke for Indian Ocean Tsunami Memorial
2013: Philip Jackson for the RAF Bomber Command Memorial
2014: Richard Wilson for Slipstream
2015: Antony Gormley for Room
2015: Douglas Jennings for Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Puji DFC
2016: David Nash for Habitat
2017: Martin Jennings for Women of Steel
2017: Rodney Harris and Valda Jackson for Four Brick Reliefs
2018: Martin Jennings for George Orwell
2021: Hazel Reeves for Our Emmeline
2022: Veronica Ryan for Caribbean Fruits
2023: Kenny Hunter for Your Next Breath

Notes

^ "The 2018 PMSA Marsh Awards – nominate your favourite new public sculpture | Art UK". artuk.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
^ "Marsh Awards Open for Nominations". icon.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
^ "Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture". Marsh Charitable Trust. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ "Unique sculpture opened". BBC News. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
^ http://www.harlowstar.co.uk/News/Harlow-scoops-prestigious-sculpture-award-30092011.htm ^{[dead link]}