Degussa and Monopol magazine announce the five artists shortlisted for the Young Generation Art Award at Frieze London

London, 16 October 2025 – At the renowned Frieze London art fair, Degussa Goldhandel, in cooperation with the art magazine Monopol, announced the five nominees for the Young Generation Art Award 2026. The prize, which promotes promising young artists in contemporary art, was established in 2024 and awarded for the first time in 2025.

Degussa Goldhandel debuts with this award at Frieze this year and will show a large solo exhibition of the first winner Thuy Tien Nguyen, whose work impressed the 2025 jury.

Yesterday, at the opening of the fair, the new shortlist for 2026 was unveiled. The nominees are Yuhao Chen, Lunita July Dorn, Arne Grashoff, Emmélie Lempert and Ken Nwadiogbu. They were chosen from almost 400 entries – a clear indication of the great interest young artists have in the art prize.

The five artists on the shortlist will be featured in the November issue of Monopol magazine. From 28 November, their work can be seen in a joint exhibition at the Degussa branch in Berlin, Französische Strasse 48.

‘It is a significant milestone for the Young Generation Art Award to debut its first winner at Frieze London in only its second year. This internationally significant presence underscores the relevance and sustainability of our commitment to art,’ says Christian Rauch, CEO of Degussa.

‘The Young Generation Art Award has been met with a huge response from young artists and clearly strikes a chord with them,’ says Elke Buhr, editor-in-chief of Monopol. ‘I am delighted with the diversity and quality of the submissions – and look forward to presenting the five most outstanding artists in Monopol.

The Young Generation Art Award is endowed with 10,000 euros for the first prize; in addition, each shortlisted nomination is awarded 3,000 euros. An expert jury will select the 2026 winner from the five finalists. In the jury again are Yilmaz Dziewior, director of Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Maya Heckelmann, curator and head of arts and culture sponsorship at Degussa; and Elke Buhr, editor-in-chief of Monopol magazine.

Short biographies of the nominees

• Yuhao Chen (born 1991, China) studied at the China Academy of Art and at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he graduated in 2023 as a master’s student under Anke Doberauer. He lives and works in Munich.
• Lunita July Dorn (born 1999, Berlin) has been studying at the Weissensee School of Art and Design in the class of Friederike Feldmann since 2020. She lives and works in Berlin.
• Arne Grashoff (born 1995, south Germany) studied communication design in Stuttgart and then photography with Heidi Specker at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig. Since 2025, he has been continuing his studies at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin, where he also lives.
• Emmélie Lempert (born 1998, Bonn) studied psychology at Humboldt University in Berlin and then fine arts at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where she graduated in 2024 under Peter Piller. She lives and works in Bonn and Berlin.
• Ken Nwadiogbu (born 1994, Lagos, Nigeria) initially studied engineering before turning to art. He completed a masters degree in painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he also lives and works.

With the Young Generation Art Award, Degussa, in cooperation with Monopol, is encouraging the next generation of artists – and sending the young European art scene an important signal for artistic quality and diversity.

For further information, please contact:
Degussa Holding AG, Oberneuhofstrasse 12, 6340 Baar, Switzerland;

Andrea Haener, email: presse@degussa.com

Res Publica Verlags GmbH, Fasanenstrasse 7–8, 10623 Berlin, Germany;

Elke Buhr, email: buhr@monopol-magazin.de