Winners of the Glass Sellers’ and CGS Graduate Glass Prize announced

Four winners, five highly commended and 10 commended graduates have been selected by an esteemed judging panel for awards in the 2023 Glass Sellers’ and Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) Graduate Glass Prize. They and their work will also be featured in the glossy New Graduate Review publication, which will be circulated with the next print edition of the CGS Glass Network magazine and the prestigious Neues Glas/New Glass: Art & Architecture magazine.

First prize went to Beth Colledge, who studied for a BA at De Montfort University, Leicester. Her entry, ‘Equilibrium’ (main image), came top out of 47 applications from 15 colleges and universities across the UK and Ireland.

Second prize was awarded to Roos Peeters, who studied a BA at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey, for the work ‘Pebble II’.

The two runners up were Georgina Fuller, who graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art, London, and Zeynep Korun, who achieved a BA at Arts University Plymouth.

Prize bundles included cash, vouchers, CGS memberships, glass books, subscriptions to Neues Glasmagazine and features in New Graduate Review magazine.

Other noted entries were:

Highly Commended
Jacqui Fowler – University of Wales Trinity St. David, Swansea (MA)
Nuala Torp – Manchester School of Art (BA)
Meng Sun – Royal College of Art, London (MA Jewellery)
Sophie Southgate – Royal College of Art, London (MA)
Leonora Lockhart – Royal College of Art, London (MA)

Commended
Lucy Richards – Arts University Plymouth (BA)
Susan Pitt – University of Wolverhampton (MA)
Lynn O’ Donovan – Crawford College of Art and Design part of MTU University, Cork, Ireland (BA)
Alix Costin – De Montfort University, Leicester (BA)
Hannah Masi – University of Sunderland (BA)
Donna Brown – Arts University Plymouth (BA)
Keisha Brittle – De Montfort University, Leicester (BA)
Thomas Radburn – Manchester Metropolitan (BA)
Zihao Xiong – Royal College of Art, London (MA)
Ali Jarvis – University for the Creative Arts, Farnham (MA)

CGS and the judges recognised that many of this year’s graduates had to navigate through COVID-19 restrictions and all the barriers that followed, so they were especially impressed with the number of submissions and standards of work. The glass prize and inclusion in New Graduate Review provide valuable publicity for the winners and aim to help them embark on their glass journeys.

The judges had a long and arduous task in selecting the winners and all those to be included in the New Graduate Review 2023. The selection panel comprised Tracy Nicholls (artist), Professor Michael Barnes (glass collector/CGS Trustee), Sarah L Brown (glass artist/CGS Trustee) and Leigh Baildham from the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity Fund.

In order to support emerging graduates at the beginning of long careers in glass making, CGS offers the annual Graduate Prize and produces the accompanying New Graduate Review magazine, featuring the work of some of the best of the UK’s glass art graduates emerging from British and Irish universities and colleges. To do this, CGS is grateful to receive funding and support from sponsors the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Charity Fund, Professor Michael Barnes MC FRCP, Creative Glass, Pearsons Glass, Warm Glass, Neues Glas and Alan J Poole.

Judge Leigh Baildham commented, “There was an excellent standard of work submitted once again this year. It seems the judges have a harder task each time we meet to agree on the submissions that merit particular note. So good to see, as the work was being reviewed, that all of the universities and colleges that offer glass education were represented. Congratulations to the students who submitted pieces, and particularly to those who received prizes and special recognition.”

Main image: ‘Equilibrium’ by first prize winner Beth Colledge, who graduated with a BA from De Montfort University, Leicester.