Koestler Awards 2022

The 2022 Koestler Awards is open for entries from 1 January – 7 April 2022.

The Koestler Awards for arts in criminal justice began 60 years ago – help us celebrate this anniversary by sharing your visual art, writing, design or music.

We are delighted to announce that the curator of the annual UK exhibition at Southbank Centre will be Ai Weiwei!

This year’s Themed Category is Taste.

The Koestler Awards are open to:

  • anyone in custody in a UK prison, young offender institution, secure training centre, secure children’s home, immigration removal centre, or high or medium security psychiatric hospital or unit (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man).
  • any current client of the National Probation Service or a Community Rehabilitation Company, a Youth Offending Service, the Scottish Criminal Justice Social Work Service or their equivalents elsewhere in the UK.
  • any UK citizen currently in a prison overseas (must submit via Prisoners Abroad).

Artworks may be submitted as an individual or a group entry.

Read the FAQs and more about the prize here.

We all want to make it.
Make it in our chosen career. Maybe make it big.

Sometimes perhaps just make it to pay day.
But whatever our ambition, what unites us all is the desire to thrive, be recognised – and be supported.
And that’s what Lambeth’s Creative Enterprise Zone is all about. Supporting creative people to do amazing creative things without having to leave our amazingly creative corner of south London.
Because we all want to make it – of course – but more than that, we want to Make It in Brixton.