Sophie Ascough

About the winner:

Sophie Ascough is an artist, musician and educator based in Teesside. She is Learning Curator at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and a member of the National Saturday Club Tutors’ Advisory Group.

A qualified Art & Design teacher, she now works in museum and gallery learning, championing youth voice and working closely with the communities she serves. She holds a BA in Fine Art from Northumbria University and an MA in Fine Art from Teesside University, where she is currently undertaking an MBA in Cultural and Creative Leadership. She is committed to equity and widening participation, advocating for inclusive access to arts and culture.

She learns from her two cats, Bean and Daisy, whose expertise in curiosity, play and doing things entirely on their own terms continues to shape her thinking.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sopruh

What the judges said:

'This is a highly influential and energising model of youth-led, co-created arts education, where young people actively shape learning rather than simply receive it. At it's heart is a fluid and responsive curriculum, built collaboratively with learners and continuously evolving through reflection, creativity and shared experience.

The work powerfully centres youth voice, agency and leadership, while creating meaningful opportunities for underserved and underrepresented young people to thrive. Through ambitious participatory projects, strong advocacy for belonging within cultural spaces, and exceptional outcomes, this initiative demonstrates the transformative potential of arts education.

It is innovative, inclusive, and deeply inspiring, giving young people not only a platform for creative expression, but a genuine voice in shaping culture and community.'

Sophie receiving her award at The National Gallery, 20 June 2026 (Photography by Dan John Lloyd).