Linbury Prize for Stage Design

John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover, co-founder of Linbury Trust

The Linbury Prize for Stage Design is the most prestigious prize for emerging stage designers with professional focus on theatre, dance, and opera companies in the United Kingdom. Since 1987, it has been awarded every two years.

History

In 1973, Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG (John Sainsbury) and his wife Lady Sainsbury, CBE, the former ballerina Anya Linden, founded the charitable Linbury Trust (Linbury is a portmanteau combining the names Linden and Sainsbury). The Linbury Prize, intending to launch the careers of young stage designers, is funded entirely by the Linbury Trust and supported by a group of advocates, endorsing its aims. The first Linbury Prizes were awarded in 1987.

Selection

The selection to determine the winners follows a procedure:

• The designs of entrants, recent graduates of theatre design courses at colleges across the United Kingdom, are presented to a group of three jurors.
• The designs of more than twelve candidates are selected.
• The selected candidates present their designs to the directors and choreographers of three previously selected, commissioning British theatre, opera house, or dance companies.
• Each company selects three designers with whom they desire to collaborate.
• The twelve finalists are asked to create designs for the companies forthcoming productions. Their expenses are covered by a sum supplied by the Linbury Trust.
• Four designs, one for each production, are selected. Their creators are the winners of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design, which is the commission to realise the selected designs on stage. Financial support for the winner as well as for the commissioning company is supplied by the Linbury Trust.

Winners

Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover, speaking at the Linbury Prize for Stage Design ceremony (Nov. 21, 2013)

From 1987 until 1995, three prizes, including the overall winner (OW), were awarded biennially.
Since 1997, four prizes are awarded biennially.

The following designers are awarded winners:

Year	Winners	Judges	Commissioning Companies
2019	Sami Fendall (OW) TK Hay Zoë Hurwitz Rose Revitt	Lizzie Clachan Katrina Lindsay Rajha Shakiry	Birmingham Royal Ballet Leeds Playhouse Nuffield Southampton Theatres Octagon Theatre, Bolton
2017	Basia Binkowska (OW) Khadija Raza Eleanor Bull Fin Redshaw	Tom Piper Nicky Shaw Rae Smith	Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith Mercury Theatre, Colchester Phoenix Dance Theatre Unicorn Theatre and ENO
2015	Grace Smart (OW) Jen McGinley Camilla Clarke Philippa Brocklehurst	Sophie Jump Tom Piper Tom Scutt	Lyric Theatre, Belfast Nuffield Southampton Theatres Royal Court Theatre Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
2013	Ana Inés Jabares-Pita (OW) Florence de Mare Madeline Girling Alexander Ruth	Christopher Oram Es Devlin John Macfarlane	English Touring Opera National Theatre of Scotland Nottingham Playhouse Scottish Dance Theatre (in association with V&A Dundee)
2011	Hyemi Shin (OW) Emma Bailey Jemima Robinson Sarah Beaton	Miriam Buether Ian MacNeill Jon Bausor	Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith Royal Opera House (ROH) The Opera Group Watermill Theatre, Newbury
2009	Aleš Valášek (OW) Samal Blak Jean Chan Ruth Sutcliffe	Katrina Lindsay Bob Crowley Nick Ormerod	Birmingham Opera Companya Royal Theatre Northampton Sound & Fury in collaboration with Fuel and Unicorn Theatre
2007	Garance Marneur (OW) Helen Goddard Rhys Jarman Tom Scutt	Tim Hatley Anthony Ward Jean Guy-Lecat	Headlong The Opera Group Hampstead Theatre Tricycle Theatre
2005	Patrick Burnier (OW) Phil Brunner James Cotterill Hannah Clark	Tobias Hoheisel Pamela Howard Julian Crouch	Bristol Old Vic Gate Theatre, Notting Hill Nottingham Playhouse Random Dance, Sadler's Wells
2003	Becs Andrews (OW) Crista Noel Smith Ben Stones Adam Wiltshire	Hildegard Bechtler John Macfarlane Vicki Mortimer	Actors Touring Company Royal Theatre Northampton The Opera Group West Yorkshire Playhouse
2001	Moritz Junge (OW) Jessica Bergström Max Jones Nicholaos Zavaliaris	Lez Brotherston Tom Cairns Rae Smith	English Touring Theatre Royal Court Theatre (J. B.'s commission realised at Soho Theatre) Welsh National Opera Young Vic
1999	Miriam Buether (OW) Emma Cattell Luke Hunt Isla Shaw	Richard Hudson Tim Hatley Vicki Mortimer	English Touring Opera Rambert Dance Company Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh Soho Theatre Company
1997	Yannis Thavoris (OW) Fiona-Marie Chivers Stuart Nunn Julie Watson	Kandis Cook Richard Foxton Ian MacNeil	The Bush Theatre Spitalfields Market Opera/English Touring Opera Second Stride/Phoenix Dance Company Salisbury Playhouse
1995	Es Devlin (OW) Frank Gerssen Agnes Treplin	Robin Cameron Don Deborah MacMillan Tanya McCallin	Mecklenburgh Opera Octagon Theatre, Bolton Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
1993	Franziska Wilcken (OW) Scott Sellers Lakis Yenethli	Tom Cairns Nigel Lowery Jenny Tiramani	Birmingham Royal Ballet Gate Theatre, London West Yorkshire Playhouse
1991	Angela Davies (OW) Lucy Bevan Neil Irish	Deirdre Clancy William Dudley Jocelyn Herbert	Second Stride Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Opera North, Leeds
1989	Kenny MacLellan (OW) Tim Hatley Neil Warmington	Alison Chitty Bob Crowley Antony McDonald with Dame Judi Dench DBE (2nd stage only)	National Youth Theatre of Great Britain Rambert Dance Company Théâtre de Complicité
1987	Patrick Connellan (OW) Sarah Ashpole Demetra Maraslis Hersey	–	–

Website

• Official website