Turner Prize 2026 is free to see in Middlesbrough until 29 March

You can see this year's Turner Prize for free in Middlesbrough until 29 March 2027. The show is at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, known as MIMA, in Centre Square. It opened on 26 September 2026. Admission costs nothing, Tate's release says. Doors are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 to 16.30. Sunday hours are 12.00 to 16.00, and the gallery is closed on Monday.

The jury and the money

The prize began in 1984 and goes each year to a British artist. The winner gets £25,000, and each of the other three artists gets £10,000. The jury is Sarah Allen, Joe Hill, Sook-Kyung Lee and Alona Pardo. Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, chairs the panel. In his words, the prize "has always been a catalyst for conversation and debate". The winner will be named on 10 December 2026.

The four artists

Simeon Barclay is up for the performance The Ruin. The Roberts Institute of Art commissioned it. It was shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, The Hepworth Wakefield and New Art Exchange in Nottingham. Barclay's work deals with the building of a motorway through the Pennines.

Kira Freije is up for her solo show Unspeak the Chorus at The Hepworth Wakefield. Modern Art Oxford co-commissioned that show. Her figures are built from welded steel strips, with aluminium faces, hands and feet.

Marguerite Humeau is up for her solo show Torches. It was shown at ARKEN in Denmark and at Helsinki Art Museum. The show has a huge elephant matriarch and clear glass orbs.

Tanoa Sasraku is up for Morale Patch, a solo show at the same London venue. Her work looks at extractivism (the large-scale removal of natural resources for profit).

What it means for Middlesbrough

MIMA has been part of Teesside University since 2014. Teesside is one of the most economically deprived regions in England, the Museums Association's journal reports. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the prize "would bring visitors, investment and opportunity". Mark Simpson, who leads the university, called the show a strong statement about culture's role in community life. Middlesbrough's mayor, Chris Cooke, said culture was "thriving" in the town. The report records hopes for impact, not measured results.

I have never judged a prize, and my sofa vote does not count.

Entry costs nothing, so the main cost of a visit is the trip.

Would you visit?