Following their success together in previous years, Converse and Dazed have partnered once again for the fifth annual Emerging Artists Award. This year’s exhibition of new work by our five finalists had now launched at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts and is open for visitors from 18 April. With all our finalists at the forefront of experimental practice, this show of fresh faces reshapes the contemporary art landscape. 

Our maverick judging panel – comprised Royal Academy artistic programmes director Tim Marlow, gallerist Javier Peres, artists José Parlá and Steven Claydon, Glasgow International director Sarah McCrory and Dazed’s visual arts editor Francesca Gavin –have selected Lawrence Lek as the winner of the £5,000 prize. Lek's Unreal Estate – a virtual reimagining of the iconic RA building as a dystopian playboy playground – can be seen alongside work by Jonathan Trayte, Rachel Pimm, Patrick Cole and collaborative duo Tasmin Snow and Sarah Tynan at the RA in our epic exhibition curated by Susanna Davies-Crook.

Designed to support emerging artists at the moment they need it most, the competition was open by free application to unrepresented artists of all disciplines not currently in education. Each of the brilliant finalists received £1,000 to create new work for the show. The award has propelled the careers of previous winners and finalists including Faye Green (winner 2013), Samara Scott (winner 2012) and Richard Parry (winner 2011) all of whom have gone on to build international reputations.

Dates: April 18–May 17

Free Entry

Royal Academy of Arts Burlington Gardens London W1J 0BD

Open: Sat to Thurs 10am–6pm Fri 10am–10pm 

Don't miss: Patrick Cole's performance of Ruin (2015). Taking place: 18 April at 3pm, 19 April at 3pm, 15 May at 7.30pm, 16 May at 3pm, and 17 May at 3pm

For more, meet the finalists and check out your guide to the show