Members-only
London, UK
About the prize
The summer exhibition is open to all members and fellows of the Royal Society of Sculptors, working in any medium. In 2025 the Summer Show will take place at Burgh House in Hampstead while Dora House undergoes building works as part of the Creating a Home for Sculptors project.
The Summer Show 2025 has been selected and curated by Polly Bielecka, Gallery Director, Pangolin London Sculpture Gallery and the theme she has selected for the show is 'Sculpture in the Home'
Applications for the Summer Show 2026 are expected to open in spring 2026.
For any queries, please contact the Residencies and Awards Manager via awards@sculptors.org.uk
About the Curator
Arriving when the gallery was still a building site, Polly Bielecka set up Pangolin London in 2008 and has since curated a dynamic exhibition programme, focusing on the historic developments of British Sculpture as well as the cutting-edge contemporary. Studying History of Art at Edinburgh University she started her career at The Fleming Collection, where she worked for 5 years before joining Pangolin London.
Polly is responsible for engineering the gallery's diverse sculpture programme and project manages ongoing site-specific commissions, offers collection management advice to collectors and presents talks on all aspects of sculpture. She lives with her husband and children in North Essex.
About the theme 'Sculpture in the Home'
This year’s Summer Show takes place in Burgh House a beautiful 18th Century Queen Anne Style Home built in 1704 in the middle of Hampstead. A private residence for most of its history the building was saved by local residents in 1979 and has since become a dynamic exhibition and events space. Remnants of the colourful life of the house are still present with its extraordinary ‘sugar twist’ staircase, panelled rooms and lovely garden terrace designed by pioneering landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll.
Given this unusual location, this year’s exhibition takes as its inspiration the innovative series of Post War touring exhibitions organised by the Arts Council under the title ‘Sculpture in the Home’. These exhibitions explored and celebrated the important role sculpture plays in a domestic environment.
Seeking to highlight the significance of sculpture in everyday life, curator Polly Bielecka hopes that this contemporary revision will transform the Wade and Heath rooms at Burgh House and highlight the varied membership of artists at the Royal Society of Sculptors.
About her choice of 'Sculpture in the Home' as the theme for the Summer Show 2025, Polly has said:
'Whilst there will be practical concerns that artists will need to consider in terms of size and weight, I have no doubt that the Royal Society of Sculptors will put forward a really interesting range of works that will create a fabulous exhibition in this unusual space - a home from home.'
Best in Show Award
Thanks to the generous support of The Marsh Charitable Trust, the curator of the 2025 Summer Show, Polly Bielecka was able to award a £1,000 prize for an artwork of her choice.
Winner of the 2025 Best in Show Award by Marsh Charitable Trust
Gabriele Risso MRSS was awarded the Best In Show Award 2025 for his work Still Life, selected by the 2025 Summer Show curator Polly Bielecka. The award is generously sponsored by The Marsh Charitable Trust who supports around 400 charities every year. Charles Micklewright, Trustee at The Marsh Charitable Trust presented the award at the opening that was attended by more than 150 guests.
Gabriele Risso MRSS is a sculptor based in London and his work engages with everyday objects and their connection to tradition, exploring perception, reality, and symbolic value. 'Still Life' consists of 29 interconnected parts and is part of a series of works where the ‘space around the objects becomes an integral part of the composition, blurring the distinction between form and counterform.'
Summer Show 2024
The Summer Show 2024 was held at Dora House and it featured work by more than 40 members of the Society selected by 2024 guest judge David McAlmont. Click here to see the exhibition.
Summer Show 2023
The Summer Show 2023 was held at Dora House and it featured work by more than 50 members of the Society selected by 2023 guest judge Edward Bulmer. Click here to see the exhibition.
