Liverpool Sculpture Prize 2025 winner revealed
- Catherine Jones
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A work by Wirral-based artist Ben Stephenson has been chosen as the winner of the 2025 Liverpool Sculpture Prize.
Laminae has been installed on the plinth at Liverpool Parish Church where it will be on show for the next 12 months.
The hollow cylindrical sculpture is formed from layers of rammed earth - inspired by a sedimentary process with layers of subsoil, charred wood, natural pigments and sand combined to echo geological strata.
Stephenson, who studied at Wimbledon College of Art and the Royal Drawing School and works between Britain and Mexico, enjoys a multidisciplinary practice which explores the intersections of identity, ecology, and history.
Working with raw and natural materials, his art investigates humanity’s evolving relationship with the natural world, drawing on mythology, colonial legacies, and environmental change.
He said: “It's a huge honour to receive the Liverpool Sculpture Prize. This piece reflects my ongoing interest in the relationship between nature and time; drawing from the vernacular of materials such as earth, clay, and sand to speak of cycles and memory.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to create something rooted in the city's history and environment, and I hope the work connects with those who encounter it in unexpected ways.”
Liverpool Sculpture prize, run by Liverpool BID Company and Liverpool Parish Church, was inaugurated in 2024.
Along with the opportunity to have the winner’s work showcased publicly for 12 months, the competition also comes with a £2,500 first prize. It is open to artists from across the UK.
Liverpool BID chief executive Bill Addy said: “This is such a stunning work, and we’re delighted to have it installed for the next 12 months at Liverpool Parish Church.
“Public art plays such an important role in our cities, and this is such a striking piece which brings a story of nature into the heart of a bustling city.
"It’s such a great opportunity to be able to showcase the best of contemporary art in Liverpool, and it’s part and parcel of what makes life in this wondrous place so great.”