Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Award for Best in Show

Marsh Award for Best in Show

This Award recognises a piece of work that is showcased in the Society’s Annual Members’ Summer Exhibition, which runs from July-September each year.

The Summer Exhibition is open to all members and fellows of the Royal Society of Sculptors, working in any medium.

Pictured: “Façade” by Steve Johnson, 2024 Award winner

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Michael Coombs 2026

Michael studied a Fine Art postgraduate degree at the Slade UCL and the Rijksakademie van Beelden Kunsten in the Netherlands, with a two-year residency. He also received the Leverhulme Trust Study Abroad Studentship, which enabled him to exhibit abroad and further his research in ancient papermaking at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, Lima Peru and U.N.A.M. San Carlos, Mexico.D.F. Mexico.

During his career to date, he has to exhibited widely in the UK and in various parts of the world, including the Royal Academy of the Arts, the Mall Galleries in London, Museum of Modern Art in Johannesburg, Carrillo Gill Museum in Mexico City, Istanbul Biennial, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Buenos Aires, MOMART Buenos Aires, Argentina, Museo de Arte de San Marcos, Lima, and the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, India.

His work creates spaces that invite the viewer to pause and contemplate what they are truly observing. For him, that moment of realization—when perception shifts and the viewer begins to see beyond the obvious—is essential. It can spark a range of reactions, from humour to discomfort, but above all, it opens a space for reflection. In today’s world, shaped by constant noise and deep-seated preconceptions, people often forget how to truly look.

As someone who is dyslexic, he naturally experiences the world through multiple layers of interpretation. Words, forms, and meanings shift and rearrange; one thing blends into another. This way of seeing deeply informs his work. He is interested in how perception works—and how first impressions can be deceptive.

Previous Winners

Gabriele Risso - ‘Still Life’

In Gabriele’s own words:

“I am an Italian sculptor based in London. I studied Sculpture at the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa and the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera, Milan, before continuing my training in Paris and London. These diverse experiences have profoundly shaped my approach to sculpture. It was during my studies in Genoa, under the guidance of my sculpture professor, Massimo Chiappetta, now a mentor and close friend, that I committed to the practice of sculpture.

In 2020, I was commissioned by the Salesian community to create a permanent, site-specific installation for the Museo Casa Don Bosco in Turin. Since then, I have exhibited my work across the UK, including at renowned venues such as the Saatchi Gallery, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Thompson Gallery (2023), and On Form at Asthall Manor (2022). I became a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2024 and was selected as a finalist for the First Plinth Award 2025.”

“Façade” by Steve Johnson

In Steve’s own words:

“The facade is made from 9mm plywood, and the curtains and flag from carved jelutong hardwood. It is installed on two screws on the reverse. It is painted with oil enamel.

This work is based on a real view from my studio building in Deptford. 15 levels up, on the block of flats opposite, is a resident who for years has used the English national flag instead of a conventional set of curtains or blinds. I have never seen the flag ‘opened’ and over the years, the white of the flag has turned grey. I suspect this is the result of polluted air and stasis. The resident must have an exceptional view of London looking North and of the River Thames from that window…if the flag wasn’t covering it. And the resident does not allow direct sunlight into that room. The flag on that 15th floor is used to cut out the view and cut out the light.”

Steve grew up in Newcastle Upon Tyne and is a sculptor of ‘wall objects’ that are pictorial and representational, and which explore the idea of architecture as metaphor. He also paints watercolours and makes prints of that subject. He has curated exhibitions and published articles on visual art, and has worked in his South London studio for over 40 years.