The Football Art Prize winners announced as new exhibition opens at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery

The Football Art Prize is now open at the Millennium Gallery

The Football Art Prize celebrates what is arguably the world’s most popular sport, celebrating the passion, drama and unity the beautiful game inspires around the globe. The winners of the 2026 Prize were announced last night at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery, where the shortlisted works can be seen on public display at from today (Thu 11 June 2026) as part of a major new exhibition opening to coincide with the first day of the FIFA World Cup.

L-R: Tim Marlow OBE, Chair of the selection panel and Director of the Design Museum; artist Alina Akbar; artist Conor Rogers; Jason Heath, Deputy Lord Lieutenant | Photo © Andy Brown

placeholder image — L-R: Tim Marlow OBE, Chair of the selection panel and Director of the Design Museum; artist Alina Akbar; artist Conor Rogers; Jason Heath, Deputy Lord Lieutenant | Photo © Andy Brown

Alina Akbar, a Manchester-based multidisciplinary artist, awarded the First Prize of £5,000 for her video work Footwork, which exploring the connection between football and dance. Sheffield-based artist Conor Rogers, was named as the winner of the Second Prize of £2,000 for his ongoing Betting Slip series, four works from which feature in the exhibition.

Football Art Prize exhibition at the Millennium Gallery | Photo © Andy Brown

The Football Art Prize showcases the work of over 60 UK and international artists, exploring the heartfelt highs and lows on the pitch, the players that give it their all, and the dedication of the loyal fans who follow them, captured through a striking array of painting, drawing, photography, film and video.

The prize-winners and the other shortlisted works have been selected by panellists including Director of the Design Museum Tim Marlow OBE, Artist Harland Miller, footballer Jessica Naz and artist Emmely Elgersma.

The shortlisted works on display in the exhibition span painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, film and mixed media, and come from artists as far afield as Bangladesh, Jamaica, Greenland, Colombia, India and the Netherlands. Together, they make a case for football as one of the richest subjects in contemporary art, carrying questions of identity, class, memory, gender, disability and belonging

Highlights include:

· The winner of The Football Art Prize: Alina Akbar’s video Footwork, 2025: This work brings together football freestyle and Kathak dance through rhythm, movement and sound. Working with members of the British South Asian diaspora, it explores the similarities between different forms of footwork and performance.

· Second prize winner: Conor Rogers’ Betting Slip series: An ongoing body of work in which paintings are made directly onto betting slips. Each piece reflects on everyday rituals and the communities and cultural identities connected to betting within contemporary British life.

· K M Asad, Playing at Algae River, 2025: This photograph shows children playing football beside an algae-filled river in Nowgawn. The image focuses on everyday play within a striking natural environment shaped by environmental change.

· Richard Clements, Echoes of the Game, 2026: Clement’s painting draws attention to the small details that reveal a deep passion for the game. It is a still life centred on legacy, time and intergenerational community, highlighting traditions carefully passed down through the years.

· Stephen Hill, Points of View: Wednesday United, 2026: This work explores identity, tribalism and the idea of seeing the bigger picture in football. Viewed from one side, the composition reveals the stripes of Sheffield United, while from the other it shows the colours of Sheffield Wednesday. Only from a front view viewpoint does the full image become clear.

Tim Marlow OBE, Chair of the selection panel and Director of the Design Museum said: "People often talk about artistry on the pitch… Well, there's plenty of it off the pitch too, inspired by the beautiful game. One of the joys of football matches is the collective, physical experience, so here's hoping many come and visit the exhibition of selected artworks."

Katie Irwin, Exhibition Curator at Sheffield Museums said: “Football is the most popular sport in the world and the shortlisted works in this exhibition are a powerful testament to why the beautiful game means so much to so many. While the approaches and subjects differ hugely across the works on display, each is united in depicting the thrill, drama, joy and heartbreak the game conjures and reflecting our profound connection to it.”

The Football Art Prize is now open at the Millennium Gallery and continues until Sunday 13 September – entry to the exhibition is free, suggested donation £5. The Prize continues at the National Football Museum from November 2026.