Serpentine and the FLAG Art Foundation launch the UK’s largest contemporary art prize in major transatlantic partnership

Serpentine and The FLAG Art Foundation have announced a landmark transatlantic partnership that will introduce the largest contemporary art prize ever awarded to a single artist in the United Kingdom. Over the next decade, five artists will each receive two hundred thousand pounds, creating a total of one million pounds in support for artists at defining moments in their careers. Each recipient will also present a solo exhibition that begins at either Serpentine in London or FLAG in New York, before being recreated for the partner institution to encourage an ongoing artistic exchange between the two cities.

Serpentine. Photo © Andy Stagg for the Serpentine

The first awardee will be selected in 2026, with the opening exhibition set to begin at Serpentine in the autumn of 2027 and later travel to FLAG in the spring of 2028. Every presentation will be supported by a dedicated catalogue and a programme developed jointly by both organisations. Bettina Korek, chief executive of Serpentine, Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of Serpentine, and Glenn Fuhrman, founder of the FLAG Art Foundation, all emphasised that the prize strengthens their shared ambition to support artists across the world, encouraging experimentation, creative freedom and meaningful artistic exchange between London and New York.

Artists will be considered through a nomination process, with a rotating jury of curators, art historians and fellow artists selecting the final recipients. Eligible candidates may come from any country or background but must have been exhibiting professionally for fewer than ten years while actively building a strong international record. The aim of the prize is to give artists the time and resources needed to create significant new work, pursue new directions and expand the visibility of their practice. This initiative continues FLAG’s ongoing support for contemporary artists, following its previous partnership on the Suzanne Deal Booth and FLAG Art Foundation Prize.

Glenn Fuhrman, Founder of the FLAG Art Foundation, Bettina Korek, CEO, Serpentine Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine

Serpentine and FLAG bring distinctive strengths to this collaboration. Serpentine, founded more than fifty years ago in Kensington Gardens, has established itself as a leading space for innovative exhibitions, public art projects and free access to culture. The FLAG Art Foundation, founded in New York in 2008, has produced more than one hundred exhibitions featuring nearly one thousand artists and remains committed to education and public engagement. Together, the two institutions are signalling a major long term investment in the future of contemporary art and the creators who will shape it.