Cover The 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid (Photo: Loewe Foundation)
The 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid (Photo: Loewe Foundation)
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Honouring works that bridge heritage, innovation, and the enduring power of the handmade, Loewe’s annual Craft Prize returned to its roots in Madrid, spotlighting 30 visionary artisans from around the world
2025 was not just the eighth edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize—it marked a long-awaited homecoming to the city where it all began.
Held in Madrid, the birthplace of both the Loewe brand and its foundation, this year’s prize carried a special resonance. “It is a pride to be back in Spain,” Sheila Loewe, president of the Loewe Foundation, said in an interview. “We have been to amazing cities such as Tokyo, Paris, and Seoul. But to bring the Craft Prize back to a country with such a rich craft patrimony is deeply emotional.”
Launched in 2016, the annual prize celebrates artistic merit and innovation in modern craftsmanship, and as a tribute to Loewe’s own origins as a collective craft workshop in 1846. The 2025 edition of Loewe Foundation Craft Prize received over 4,600 submissions by artisans across 133 countries. From these, the jury shortlisted 30 finalists whose works spanned techniques both ancient and avant-garde, reaffirming the enduring relevance of the handmade in a digitised age.
In case you missed it: Meet Didi Ng Wing Yin, Hong Kong’s first Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalist
Above This year’s Craft Prize winner, Japanese ceramicist Kunimasa Aoki, with director Pedro Almodóvar, who presented the award
This year’s Craft Prize winner, Japanese ceramicist Kunimasa Aoki, with director Pedro Almodóvar, who presented the award
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On May 29, the finalists, jury, international guests, and a star-studded crowd gathered at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid for the awards ceremony. This year’s top honour of €50,000 (SG$74,000) was awarded to Japanese ceramicist Kunimasa Aoki for his piece Realm of Living Things 19 (2024), an anamorphic terracotta sculpture. The jury—a distinguished panel of 12 individuals from the worlds of design, architecture, journalism, and museum curatorship—selected Aoki’s work for “its honest expression of the ancestral coil process” and for its intricate details, namely the “little universes” on the surface of the sculpture, created through the compression of terracotta coils.
Above Nifemi Marcus-Bello with his work, 'TM Bench with Bowl (2023)’
Above Sumakshi Singh of Studio Sumakshi Singh, with her piece, 'Monument (2024)’
Nifemi Marcus-Bello with his work, 'TM Bench with Bowl (2023)’
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Two Special Mentions were awarded this year, each accompanied by a cash prize of €5,000 (SG$7, 400). These accolades recognise artists whose works demonstrate unique artistic merit and a significant contribution to the field of craft.
Nigerian designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello was recognised for TM Bench with Bowl (2023), a sculptural piece crafted from recycled aluminium from the car industry that speaks to globalisation, trade, and the dynamics of power. Studio Sumakshi Singh, based in India, also received a Special Mention for Monument (2024), a life-size textile reimagining of a column from a 12th-century colonnade in Delhi. Crafted from copper zari, the shimmering, gossamer-thin piece explores themes of memory, architecture, and shadow.
Above The jury–a distinguished panel of 12 individuals from design, architecture, journalism, and museum curatorship–included architect and essayist Frida Escobedo (back row; first from right) and last year’s Craft Prize winner Andrés Anza (front row; second from left)
The jury–a distinguished panel of 12 individuals from design, architecture, journalism, and museum curatorship–included architect and essayist Frida Escobedo (back row; first from right) and last year’s Craft Prize winner Andrés Anza (front row; second from left)
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Architect and essayist Frida Escobedo, who participated in the jury for the first time, remarked on the poetic themes and shared language that emerged across the finalists’ works. “There was a deep engagement with memory and time—how repetition, labour, and something so delicate can become something powerful,” she said. “These objects not only reflect cultural heritage, they shape the way we engage with space and community.”
Last year’s Craft Prize winner Andrés Anza reflected on his new role as a jury member with curiosity and humility. “Being on the other side this time, I felt the weight of our decision,” he shared. “I didn’t want to judge solely through the lens of my own discipline, so I made it a point to study all the selected works and artists closely. It was about staying open—open to different materials, techniques, and perspectives.” Though this year’s winning work shared similarities with his own ceramic practice, Anza emphasised that the decision was made collectively and based on merit. “It wasn’t a bias—it was a choice we all stood behind, and one we’re incredibly proud of.”
Read more: Singaporean artist Ashley Yeo shortlisted for the 2018 Loewe Craft Prize
All 30 of the shortlisted works of the 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize will be exhibited at Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid until 29 June 2025
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For Aoki, the win is only the beginning. “It definitely pushes me to continue expanding my art,” he said. “But this recognition is not just for me. It is for the future of ceramics, and for all artists who shape the world with their hands.”
Beyond the awards, the Craft Prize continues to serve a larger purpose. “When the Loewe Foundation started 37 years ago, craft needed support. It still does,” remarked Sheila Loewe. “But every year, we see it grow more global. We’re seeing artists from countries like Iran, where we’ve never advertised, send in hundreds of submissions. It shows that this platform is alive, and it’s helping to preserve the magic of craft.”
All 30 of the shortlisted works of the 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize will be exhibited at Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid until 29 June 2025. To view all 30 finalists’ submissions online, visit craftprizeexhibition.loewe.com
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Credits
Images: Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation
Shairah Thoufeekh is the branded content director of Tatler Singapore. She oversees all creative editorial and branded storytelling projects across Tatler’s print and digital platforms—covering luxury, lifestyle, wealth, travel, and beyond.
