Open to all
National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire
About the prize
Every day, journalists risk their lives to bring us the truth, often working in war zones and hostile environments. The stories they tell shape the way we understand the world and, in many cases, change the course of history. Sadly, a number of them pay the ultimate price for dedication to their craft.
This memorial will ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten and that future generations are reminded of the value of free speech and the importance of journalistic integrity.
On The Record Memorial: Shortlist of Artists/Designers Announced
The trustees of the On The Record Memorial, in partnership with the Royal Society of Sculptors, are pleased to announce the shortlisted artists and designers for the National Memorial to Journalists on the Frontline. This memorial, to be located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, with a sister piece at St Bride's Church, commemorates British and UK-based journalists who have lost their lives reporting from conflict zones. It will stand as a lasting testament to the courage, integrity and unwavering commitment of those who risk everything to bring truth to light.
Shortlisted Artists/Designers
Nicola Anthony MRSS
UK-based sculptor
“I see sculpture as a form of storytelling - an immersive experience where language, scale and placement guide audiences to deeper understanding.”
Nicola Anthony creates large-scale text sculptures and installations exploring truth, justice, freedom of expression and ethical storytelling. Her memorial-scale projects include works for Durham Cathedral and the USC Shoah Foundation, engaging audiences internationally.
Barbara Beyer MRSS & Tobias O’Connor
London-based artist duo
“Our work explores dialogue, correspondence and ethical storytelling through immersive, site-specific sculpture and sonic installations.”
Barbara Beyer and Tobias O’Connor collaborate on projects combining material experimentation, craft, performance and urban design. Their practice emphasises research, interaction, and reflective engagement with landscape, history and human experience.
Wolfgang Buttress
UK-based multi-sensory artist
“I explore the invisible connections between people and site, using structure, sound and light to create immersive, resonant spaces.”
Wolfgang Buttress has over 40 years of experience with multi-sensory, site-specific artworks such as The Hive at Kew Gardens and RISE in Belfast, focusing on audience interaction and emotional engagement.
Andy DeComyn
UK-based figurative sculptor
“I aim to create memorials that speak loudly and clearly, ensuring that the stories of those we commemorate are never forgotten.”
Andy DeComyn has 25 years’ experience in public sculpture and memorials. His notable works include the Shot at Dawn Memorial and several commissions located at the National Memorial Arboretum, delivering sensitive, educational and enduring installations.
Anna Gillespie MRSS
UK-based sculptor
“The human body is my lens for exploring personal and archetypal themes, creating sculptures that balance strength, vulnerability and witnessing.”
Anna Gillespie’s public sculptures, such as SHIP at Morecambe Bay, focus on readable, immersive works that encourage deep engagement with history, place and human experience.
Angela Palmer MRSS
Scottish sculptor
“I create large-scale works that translate science, history and journalism into immersive, narrative-driven sculptural forms.”
Angela Palmer’s major installations include The Ghost Forest, The Sphere That Changed the World and Deep Time. She combines journalistic insight, technical planning and public engagement to deliver memorial-scale artworks internationally.
Lee Simmons
UK-based sculptor
“I work at the intersection of sculpture, architecture and civic space, exploring how material and structure carry narrative and public meaning.”
Lee Simmons collaborates with architects, engineers and specialist fabricators to deliver permanent, technically robust public works, including Circadian at Marble Arch Place, London and the Great War Memorial in Victoria Street, London.
Vertigo Creative Studio
UK-based exhibition and spatial design studio
“Vertigo combines strong narrative clarity with robust, carefully detailed design, creating emotionally resonant installations in nationally significant contexts.”
Vertigo is an award-winning exhibition, interpretation and spatial design practice established in 2007. They specialise in permanent and temporary installations, including memorial landscapes, historic parks and sites of remembrance. Recent projects include the Hope Bell Covid Memorial in Queen’s Park, Loughborough.
Andrew Baud, trustee and judge for On The Record, said:
"From 104 entries, the judges arrived at a shortlist that signals our wish to create a landmark piece with ambition, credibility and serious artistic intent. The list comprises artists with international profile and conceptual depth, alongside designers who are well‑established memorial specialists. The approaches are a blend of conceptual and classical, and we are now keen to dig deeper into the proposals - from those experimenting with narrative to those using representational sculpture with emotional clarity. With every artist on the shortlist rooting their work in truth, witness and human experience, this memorial promises to honour frontline journalism with the gravity, coherence and integrity it deserves."
The Royal Society of Sculptors, in partnership with the On The Record memorial trustees, invites submissions from artists and sculptors to design and deliver an innovative and inspirational public artwork to be installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
This memorial will commemorate UK and UK-based journalists killed in conflict and will form part of the wider On the Record memorial initiative.
The memorial, which will tell a compelling story, is to be funded through donations from those connected with the media and public subscription, with a total project budget, to include research and delivery of an online resource, of £1 million.
Within this, the memorial cost is estimated at £500,000, inclusive of design, production, transportation, installation and all ancillaries. A further £50,000 (inclusive) is to be set aside to enable either a scale version of the sculpture or a complementary work to be produced and installed within St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street. Initial fundraising efforts have seen up to £300k pledged, ahead of wider outreach to media owners and other potential donors.
This is an open call to UK-based artists and sculptors with experience in nationally and internationally important public commissions.
Q&A for artists
On Thursday 11 December, On the Record's Sarah Sands and Andrew Baud hosted a Q&A session for artists interested in applying for the National Memorial to Journalists on the Frontline. Click here to watch the recording.
On The Record
In 2012, renowned war correspondent Marie Colvin was tragically killed while reporting in Syria, her life claimed by the very conflict she was trying to document. Marie, like many others, was driven by a deep commitment to truth and justice. On The Record is a unique memorial dedicated not only to her, but to all British and UK-based journalists who have sacrificed everything in the pursuit of free speech. It will serve as a powerful tribute to their courage, their dedication and their legacy
Every day, journalists risk their lives to bring us the truth, often working in war zones and hostile environments.
The stories they tell shape the way we understand the world and, in many cases, change the course of history.
Sadly, a number of them pay the ultimate price for dedication to their craft.
This memorial will ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten and that future generations are reminded of the value of free speech and the importance of journalistic integrity.
The Royal Society of Sculptors, in partnership with the On The Record memorial trustees, invites submissions from artists and sculptors to design and deliver an innovative and inspirational public artwork to be installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Timeline & Budget
The proposed timeline is:
- Competition Announced: 3rd November 2025
- Application deadline: 9th January 2026
- Shortlist announcement: 23rd January 2026
- Visit to site: February 2026 (tbc)
- Presentation of plans, costings and maquettes, followed by interviews: March 2026 (tbc)
- Installation complete: March 2027 (tbc)
- Formal unveiling: May 2027 (tbc)
Budget
The total budget is £550,000 inclusive of:
- Artist design fee
- Production, transportation and installation
- Groundworks and technical support
- Maintenance provisions
- Scale work to be provided to St Bride’s
Artists should submit a preliminary budget and plan covering all aspects of the memorial’s delivery. Note that the VAT position is still to be established, however the charity will be applying for HMRC memorial construction exemption.
Background & Location
Background
The On The Record memorial commemorates British and UK-based journalists who lost their lives in conflict zones.
It aims to honour their courage, sacrifice and commitment to truth, while also raising awareness of the risks faced by media professionals in war and conflict reporting.
This initiative, in partnership with Press Gazette and St Bride’s Church, builds on the legacy of the UK’s commitment to press freedom and the protection of journalists.
It will include an online database and educational resources to ensure the stories of those commemorated are accessible to future generations.
The online resources will include archive footage and interviews with family members, seeking to tell the stories of those who sacrificed their lives to deliver the truth around conflict.
Location
The memorial will be situated at the National Memorial Arboretum, a 150-acre visitor attraction in Staffordshire dedicated to remembrance. It is part of the Royal British Legion and hosts over 400 memorials, welcoming more than 300,000 visitors annually, including many on learning visits. Among the many military memorials are a wide array of tributes to other groups and individuals who have in some way served, suffered and sacrificed their lives.
The Arboretum has grown in stature since opening in 2001 and, benefiting from over 100 Royal visits, it has become the place where our nation remembers. Artists with works at the site include Ian Rank-Broadley, Georgie Welch, Paul Day, Graeme Mitcheson, Peter Walker, Andy DeComyn, Peter Barnes and Jill Berelowitz.
Initial conversations suggest that the memorial, which will drive footfall to the site, is to be considered for a prominent location, on the edge of a rapidly maturing woodland, adjacent to the site’s wildflower meadow. Nearby installations include creative tributes to the Quaker Service Memorial, Trees of Life (a living tribute to those who served our country throughout the pandemic and remembering all those who died from COVID-19 in the UK), the Royal British Legion Remembrance Glade and the Tree of Cherished Memories.
Objectives & Themes
Objectives
- Honour British and UK-based journalists killed in conflict or while reporting from war zones.
- Recognise the role of journalism in being the foundation of democracy, documenting truth and bearing witness.
- Provide an inclusive space for reflection and remembrance, with a particular focus on it becoming an engaging gateway to learning for young people.
- Celebrate the values of courage, integrity and freedom of expression.
Themes
- Truth and sacrifice
- Courage under fire
- The power of storytelling
- The fragility and resilience of freedom
- The role of journalism in democracy and conflict
Priorities & Production + Maintenance
Priorities
- International standard artwork
- Strong visual impact, immersive experience, emotional resonance
- Unique, innovative and thoughtful design
- Accessibility and clarity of message
- Durability and ease of maintenance
- Integration with the Arboretum’s landscape and ethos
- Educational potential and community engagement
Production and Maintenance
Artists must consider:
- Materials and infrastructure needs
- Maintenance in perpetuity (to be managed by the Arboretum)
- Environmental and safety considerations
- Lead times and installation logistics
- Memorial must not incorporate the names of individuals
- Compliance with the Arboretum's design guidelines for new memorials: https://www.thenma.org.uk/docs/default-source/legal-documents-and-policies/sop-44-memorial-application-and-alteration-policy---rev-15---dec-24.pdf
Sarah Sands
Sarah Sands has been a newspaper editor, an editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, a trustee of Index on Censorship and Deputy Chair of the British Council. She chaired the G7 gender equality advisory council in 2021 and remained on the council for three years. Sarah is an associate of the Imperial War Museum and a trustee of Bletchley Park Trust.
Andrew Baud
Andrew is CEO of Talacom, an international public relations agency which has represented the National Memorial Arboretum for 18 years. He is the founder of On The Record, having been approached by a member of the public who felt it was essential that journalists killed in conflict were better commemorated.
James Irving
James has worked at St Bride’s, the Journalists’ Church, since 1991, most recently as head of finance and fundraising. His role includes revenue and capital fundraising, preparing and delivering high-profile memorial services, carol services and concerts, dealing with charity governance and liaison with St Bride’s media and corporate supporters.
Jon Williams
Three-time Emmy Award winning journalist turned media freedom advocate, Jon currently leads the Rory Peck Trust, a non-profit organisation that supports freelance journalists in crisis situations and is a Non-Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Andy Ansell
Andy oversees the National Memorial Arboretum's 150-acre site and implementation of its landscape masterplan. Formerly with Glendale, he brings deep expertise in environmental management, green space strategy, and project planning. Passionate about both remembrance and horticulture, he encourages memorial applicants to be innovate and bold in their storytelling. He also led creation of the Arboretum’s award-winning Hamamelis collection and is a National and International Green Flag judge.
Mark Richards FRSS
Mark Richards has, for most of his career, worked as a commission-based figure sculptor, completing more that 260 (life-size or over) works for public and private space. He has a BA Hons in Art History, (Manchester University), a City and Guilds Diploma in Sculpture/Carving and trained under architectural sculptor A. J Ayres. Mark devised and ran portrait sculpture training sessions as Stanton Group Studios from 2013-17 and has, from time to time, been on selection panels, most recently for the Smithfield Square Lower Commission, Dublin in 2020 and for the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial, National Arboretum, Staffordshire, 2024.
