SWG3 has welcomed three emerging artists and designers as recipients of our 2026/27 New Graduate Prize.
A commitment to creative development is firmly rooted at the core of everything that SWG3 does. For many graduates, leaving university means losing access to the studios, facilities and creative networks that have helped shape their work. SWG3's New Graduate Prize was set up with the aim to remove this hurdle and to help bridge the gap for emerging artists by offering a year of free workspace, along with opportunities to collaborate and create the connections needed to establish a lasting creative career. On top of this, the chosen artist recipient also has the opportunity to exhibit their work or curate an event at the end of their stay.
This year, SWG3 welcomes Painter and collage artist Juno Clarkson Firth, alongside graphic designers Yeliz Altin and Ines Boyle. Each of the artists will benefit from a year of free workspace, and will join our established community of artists, designers and creative businesses.
The arts are ingrained in the journey of SWG3, and offering the graduate studio and desk spaces each year gives emerging artists time to focus on their practice without as much added financial pressure. We've had amazing talent come through the doors and people that have become very much a part of the SWG3 community.
Meryl Gilbert, Arts + Business Director, SWG3
This year's recipients of the prize are the latest in a long list of artists who have benefited over the years, including 2024 Turner Prize nominee Pio Abad, internationally exhibited sculptor Lauren Gault and multidisciplinary artist Cara Tolmie, whose work has been presented at Tate Modern.
Other notable former residents include New York-based artist Sandy Smith, one of SWG3's earliest studio tenants, whose sculpture Please Don’t Break My Heart featured as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, and Glasgow-based artist and muralist Molly Hankinson, whose colourful public artworks have become a familiar sight across the city – you may even have spotted some of her work at Yardworks Festival over the year.
You can view some of our current residents – including this year's prize winners, and check out their work here.
