At a time when contemporary craft has never been more sought after, I am delighted to share with you the five artists shortlisted for the 2023 Brookfield Properties Craft Award – the fourth edition of UK’s leading contemporary craft award created in partnership with the Crafts Council. The winner will be announced in early March at the 19th edition of Collect – the international fair on collectable contemporary craft and design, taking place at Somerset House.

The winning artist receives a prize package equivalent to the value of £60,000, including a solo exhibition in the City of London and their work acquired for the Crafts Council’s national collection.

The shortlist includes (works from the artists below from left to right):
Textile artist Alice Kettle (represented by Candida Stevens Gallery, England)
Ceramicist Amy Hughes (represented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery, England)
Material-led artist Anne-Laure Cano (represented by 155A Gallery, England)
Ceramic sculptor Noa Chernichovsky (represented by Charles Burnand Gallery, England)
Multi-disciplinary artist Samuel Nnorom (represented by Gallery REVEL, France)

The award reflects the rapid industry growth of the UK contemporary craft sector, which according to research from the Crafts Council, has increased fourfold in the volume of craft objects bought annually between 2006 and 2020 – from 5.6m to 24.7m objects – and contributed £3.4bn to the UK economy in 2020.