Contemporary Art Society for Wales (CASW) and Plas Glyn-y-Weddw are delighted to announce the winner of the 2025 CASW Hibbard Prize, Manon Awst.
Following the very generous gift of Professor Bryan Hibbard, CASW has created a prize for emerging and early career artists. The prize is named in memory of Professor Hibbard (1926-2021) and his wife Dr Elizabeth Hibbard (1928-2021), long-term supporters of the Contemporary Art Society for Wales, of which Professor Hibbard was President.
The inaugural award was presented to Toni de Jesus, Naomi Palmer, and Sophie Jo Edwards, selected by Andrew Renton in collaboration with Nantgarw China Works Museum.
For the second prize, CASW collaborated with Plas Glyn-y-Weddw Arts Centre in Llanbedrog, north Wales. Under the expert guidance of prominent selectors Ann Catrin Evans and Junko Mori, this year's award goes to Welsh sculptor Manon Awst. Manon will create an outdoor piece to be displayed for 12 months on a newly prepared sculpture station in the garden of Plas Glyn-y-Weddw.
Ann Catrin Evans and Junko Mori, two of Wales' most prominent contemporary sculptors, were instrumental in the selection process. They meticulously shortlisted candidates and conducted secret studio visits before unanimously deciding on Manon Awst.
Manon, a Caernarfon-based sculptor, has enthusiastically accepted the challenge. She shared her excitement, stating:
"I’m delighted about this opportunity to create a new sculpture for Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw through the CASW Hibbard Prize. This venue means a lot to me, since I’ve been visiting exhibitions here since childhood, and the outdoor ‘Sculpture Station’ is a perfect space to develop a playful, site-specific piece. I’m excited to work on it over the next 6 months and visiting regularly to see how the seasons shape the site."
About Manon Awst
Manon Awst is a Caernarfon-based artist whose sculptures and site-specific artworks are deeply woven with ecological narratives. Her work explores how materials transform locations and communities, focusing on the tension between human and non-human structures. Her interdisciplinary approach is informed by her academic studies in Architecture (University of Cambridge) and Artistic Research (Royal College of Art, London).
Manon's rooted interest in geology and land structures guides her innovative use of sculptural materials. Her recent Future Wales Fellowship allowed her to focus on the ecological and cultural value of peatlands. This summer, a Henry Moore Institute Research Fellowship will support her project "Peat in Practice," during which she will be based at the HMF Sculpture Research Library and specific areas of the Great North Bog. Additionally, in July 2025, Manon was selected to represent Wales at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
About the Selectors
Ann Catrin Evans
Ann Catrin Evans is a designer and maker known for her architectural sculptures and jewellery crafted from iron and precious metals. Her work ranges from delicate framed pieces to dramatic iron jewellery and large-scale architectural sculptures. Since 1989, Ann has undertaken numerous projects, commissions, exhibitions, and residencies. She won the Gold Medal at The National Eisteddfod in Builth Wells in 1993 and again in 1997. Ann has also created numerous Crowns for various Eisteddfodau. Her most prominent commission is at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, where she designed the bronze and aluminium door handles throughout the building, as well as the ceremonial Lock and Key.
Junko Mori
Junko Mori is a Japanese artist based in Wales, primarily working in metalwork sculpture. Her aggregate pieces are often thematically and visually connected to her observations of living matter, particularly plants. Mori's choice of metal varies widely, from silver to mild steel, as do the size and scale of her works, which range from smaller tabletop pieces to large-scale sculptures. Her distinctive style blends contrasts, drawing on her metalworking and sculptural education in both Japan and the UK, and consistently blurs the boundaries between fine art and craft. Described as "one of the most innovative and exciting Japanese metal artists working today," she has exhibited widely internationally over the past several decades. Her work is held in public and private collections worldwide, including the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
CASW
CASW: Contemporary Art Society for Wales is a charity that fosters and promotes engagement with, and the appreciation of, the visual arts among the people of Wales. Its activities include the acquisition of works for exhibition to the general public, including through presentation to Welsh public institutions. Since its foundation in 1937, CASW has gifted over 950 works to such institutions, and a searchable catalogue of those works and a gallery of selected works can be found on the CASW website: www.casw.org.uk