Twelve emerging designers have been named as recipients of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2025, the UK’s leading award for early-career theatre designers.
Their work will be showcased at The Linbury Prize Exhibition opening Tuesday 2 December 2025 at the National Theatre, offering audiences a glimpse into the future of stage design.
The recipients are Cal Owens, Emily Mahon, Haiyan Hester Xue 薛海燕, Isaac O’Brien, James Stibilj, Kathy Udaondo, Kezi Ferguson, Miriam Dheva-Aksorn, Willoughby Brow, Yi Gao, Yuhe Zhang, and Zidi Wu.
Each designer will receive a £6,000 bursary and a placement with an established designer, providing mentorship and hands-on experience in professional theatre production.
Previous winners of the Linbury Prize include Es Devlin (Dear England), Jon Bausor (Paralympics Opening Ceremony), and Vicki Mortimer (Follies).
Presented by the National Theatre and supported by The Linbury Trust, the prize aims to address industry-wide skills shortages and support new talent entering the creative sector.
Kate Varah, CEO and Executive Director of the National Theatre, said:
“The Linbury Prize has played an unparalleled role in supporting emerging designers into sustainable careers. Widening applications to consider non-traditional routes has been vital in making these roles more accessible and demonstrating our ongoing commitment as a skills incubator. The National Theatre Skills Centre is committed to springboarding early careers into the creative sector. To have work showcased at the NT and be able to shadow established designers is an unmatched opportunity, and Indhu and I can’t wait to see where the creativity and imagination of this year’s recipients will take them.”
Lady Anya Sainsbury CBE, founder of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design, said:
“The Linbury Prize is such a wonderful platform to showcase design talent, and I am thrilled that the Prize will help to celebrate a new generation of designers. I am really looking forward to meeting this year’s winners, and I am so very excited to see their careers develop. I would like to express my huge thanks to the team at the National Theatre, and also the Linbury Prize Committee for providing such wonderful support and encouragement to the candidates.”
Max Johns, Designer and Linbury Prize 2025 Judge, said:
“In a challenging time for theatre designers, judging the Linbury Prize has affirmed for me the vital role these pathways play in recognising and nurturing emerging talent. There was a wealth of bold submissions this year and I’m delighted to see the work of our twelve finalists being celebrated at the National Theatre.”
The judging panel also included Jean-Marc Puissant, Rajha Shakiry, and Ian MacNeil.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
