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Wimbledon College of Arts PhD graduate wins the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026

Yvonne stands in an art gallery beside a large, human-shaped wall sculpture made from delicate wire or mesh. Framed abstract artwork hangs on the wall to the right. The gallery is brightly lit with neutral walls, highlighting the texture of the sculpture and the geometric patterns in the framed piece.
  • Written byEleanor Harvey
  • Published date 28 September 2026
Yvonne stands in an art gallery beside a large, human-shaped wall sculpture made from delicate wire or mesh. Framed abstract artwork hangs on the wall to the right. The gallery is brightly lit with neutral walls, highlighting the texture of the sculpture and the geometric patterns in the framed piece.
Yvonne Crossley with her winning work, ‘Octogenarian Dancer’ (2025) | Photography: Patrycja Nowak

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 has been awarded to Yvonne Crossley for her piece, Octogenarian Dancer (2025).

Yvonne, who holds a PhD in Fine Art Practice from Wimbledon College of Arts (2001), beat more than 2,500 entries from over 1,400 artists across 48 countries to win the £15,000 prize.

The title reflects the piece's origins; "I'm in my 80s," Yvonne said, "and one of the things that I'm interested in is some kind of celebration of arriving at this point in life."

I'm on sticks, OK, I've got replacement hips, but I'm still, I'm still dancing.

— Yvonne Crossley
Yvonne stood with her winning artwork.
Yvonne Crossley | Photograph: Patrycja Nowak
People looking at the winning work at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 | Photograph: Patrycja Nowak

The playful drawing takes a single line off the page and into space. The suspended wire figure captures a dancer’s poise without arms or legs and celebrates what the artist’s body can still do. She made a deliberate choice to leave out the arms and legs. "It's not for any sort of destructive reason," she explained, "but because it's enough that it dances without the whole figure.”

Yvonne began making the wire figures in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as part of her PhD by practice, and has continued the series intermittently since.

Alongside Yvonne, another  graduate from a University of the Arts London college also received a prize. The Three Boroughs’ Award of £1,000 was awarded to Lucie Holzer for Stairway at Dusk (2026). Lucie completed her Art & Design Foundation Diploma at Central Saint Martins, UAL in 2014.

Selection of the shortlisted works for the Trinity Buoy Wharf on exhibition
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 | Photograph: Patrycja Nowak
Shortlisted works on display at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize exhibition 2026
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 | Photograph: Patrycja Nowak

About the prize

Established in 1994, the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize is regarded as the UK’s most prestigious open exhibition for drawing.

From a diverse and impressive worldwide submission of works, 92 drawings by 86 artists were shortlisted for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026. The 2026 exhibition marks the ninth year of generous support from the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.

The exhibition is open daily from 11am to 6pm until Sunday 4 October 2026 at Trinity Buoy Wharf, and is free to visit. The exhibition will then tour the UK.

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