Public Art Commission Open Call: National Memorial to Journalists on the Frontline
5 November 2025
Deadline: January 9, 2026
The Royal Society of Sculptors have announced a new Public Art Commission Open Call in collaboration with On The Record.
This is a national design competition with the goal of creating the UK’s first permanent memorial dedicated to British and UK-based journalists who have lost their lives while reporting from conflict zones. Through the creation of a world-class work of art, the initiative seeks to honour the courage and sacrifice of journalists and media workers who died in pursuit of the truth.
The memorial sculpture will be located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the country’s year-round place of remembrance. A complementary sculpture will also be installed at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street – the journalist’s chapel – with a dual presence creating both a national recognition and an enduring legacy.
Artists must consider:
- Materials and infrastructure needs
- Maintenance in perpetuity (to be managed by the Arboretum)
- Environmental and safety considerations
- Lead times and installation logistics
- Memorial must not incorporate the names of individuals
- Compliance with the Arboretum’s design guidelines for new memorials: https://www.thenma.org.uk/docs/default-source/legal-documents-and-policies/sop-44-memorial-application-and-alteration-policy—rev-15—dec-24.pdf
Budget
The total budget is £550,000 inclusive of:
- Artist design fee
- Production, transportation and installation
- Groundworks and technical support
- Maintenance provisions
- Scale work to be provided to St Bride’s
Artists should submit a preliminary budget and plan covering all aspects of the memorial’s delivery. Note that the VAT position is still to be established, however the charity will be applying for HMRC memorial construction exemption.
Application / Submission
This is an open call to UK-based artists and sculptors with experience in nationally and internationally important public commissions.
Submissions should include:
- CV
- Examples of previous work of similar scale
- One-page response to the brief
- Draft visualisation or concept drawing
Find full brief and information on how to apply here.
Deadline: Monday 9 January 2026, 5pm