Lulu Harrison Wins QEST Sanderson Rising Star Craft Award
Glass artist and material researcher Lulu Harrison has received the QEST Sanderson Rising Star Craft Award, which includes a £25,000 bursary. The jury praised her craftsmanship and her vision for the future of glassmaking, including her focus on sustainability and specialist skills. Harrison, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2022, explores local and waste materials, such as waste from the fishing industry.
Harrison, now living in Oxfordshire, came to glass through an MA in Materials Futures at Central Saint Martins, completing it in 2022. Her earlier time in Cornwall connected her with local fishermen, prompting an interest in fishing-industry waste. That led her to study traditional methods that use limestone derived from local shells as a key ingredient.
The QEST Sanderson Rising Star Craft Award carries a £25,000 bursary. The judging panel, led by Sanderson Design Group CEO Lisa Montague, included journalist Debika Ray and Wallpaper* design critic Hugo Macdonald. The prize forms part of Sanderson’s effort to support emerging craftspeople and explore how artisanal innovation might advance the wider industry.
The award may raise the profile of sustainable glassmaking and craft research, potentially influencing designers, students, and manufacturers as they consider waste materials and specialist skills. It could give Harrison more room to develop her practice, while audiences and collectors might encounter glass objects linked to local resources and heritage techniques. For emerging makers, the recognition may suggest that traditional knowledge and environmental concerns can be combined in ways that attract institutional support and public attention.