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The National Theatre has announced the 12 winners of its annual Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2025.

The Linbury Prize for Stage Design is the UK’s leading award for emerging theatre design talent, and the prize offers a vital launchpad into the world of professional theatre.

The prize was founded in 1987 by Lady Anya Sainsbury, and is supported by The Linbury Trust.

The twelve recipients announced today are:

  • Cal Owens (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
  • Emily Mahon (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts)
  • Haiyan Hester Xue 薛海燕 (Royal Welsh College Of Music and Drama)
  • Isaac O’Brien (The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts)
  • James Stibilj (National Institute of Dramatic Art)
  • Kathy Udaondo (London College of Fashion, University of Arts London)
  • Kezi Ferguson (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama)
  • Miriam Dheva-Aksorn (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)
  • Willoughby Brow (Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London)
  • Yi Gao (Wimbledon College of Arts, University of Arts London)
  • Yuhe Zhang (Wimbledon College of Arts)
  • Zidi Wu (Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London)
The Linbury Prize winners 2025
The Linbury Prize winners 2025: Top row (left to right): Yuhe Zhang, Haiyan Hester Xue 薛海燕, Kathy Udaondo, James Stibilj, Kezi Ferguson, and Isaac O’Brien. Bottom row (left to right): Willoughby Brow, Emily Mahon, Yi Gao, Cal Owens, Miriam Dheva-Aksorn, and Zidi Wu

The Prize winners will have their work showcased at The Linbury Prize Exhibition at the National Theatre, which runs from 2 December 2025.

Each winner also receives a bursary prize of £6,000 and a placement with an established designer, giving them mentoring and first-hand experience of the production process.

This year’s judging panel included stage and costume designers Jean-Marc Puissant, Rajha Shakiry, Max Johns, and Ian MacNeil.

The Linbury Prize is the only nationwide prize for Stage Design in the UK and has launched the careers of over 200 young talented stage designers since its Applications were open to UK graduates from theatre design degree or postgraduate courses graduating in 2024 and 2025, as well as emerging designers without a degree who are in the first three years of their professional practice.

The Prize is committed to supporting new talent starting out in the industry and addressing urgent sector-wide skills shortages. The creative industries are one of the eight growth driving sectors the Government has prioritised in its Industrial Strategy, however data from DCMS shows 30% of job vacancies in the cultural sector are affected by skills shortages.

Previous designers recognised by the Linbury Prize include Es Devlin (Dear England), Jon Bausor (Paralympics Opening Ceremony), and Vicki Mortimer (Follies).

Kate Varah, CEO and Executive Director of the National Theatre, said in a statement: “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.”

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Main photo: The Linbury Prize for Stage Design - National Theatre

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