Image: Millennium Gallery
Sheffield Museums Trust has announced the return of 'The Football Art Prize' to the Millennium Gallery, where it will run from 11 June to 13 September 2026. The free exhibition, which asks visitors to donate £5, is timed to coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup and brings together the work of more than 60 UK and international artists.
The exhibition is framed around football’s emotional and cultural reach. According to Sheffield Museums, 'The Football Art Prize' celebrates the passion, drama and unity the game inspires around the globe, and presents scenes of “the heartfelt highs and lows on the pitch, the players that give it their all, and the dedication of the loyal fans who follow them.” Those themes are explored through painting, drawing, photography, film and video.
The show’s return also signals Sheffield Museums’ continuing use of the Millennium Gallery as a site for exhibitions that connect contemporary making with broad public appeal. The gallery, on Arundel Gate in Sheffield, is part of the six-venue trust that also operates Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Graves Gallery, Kelham Island Museum, Shepherd Wheel Workshop and Weston Park Museum. In this case, the gallery is hosting a presentation that merges sport and visual culture while remaining accessible through free entry.
The online exhibition listing names several highlighted artists and works, offering a glimpse of the range included in the prize. Among the featured pieces are K M Asad’s 'Playing at Algae River', Conor Rogers’s 'GUTTED' from 2021, Mark Carolan’s 'Goodison Park: The Autograph' from 2016, Richard Clements’s 'Echoes of the Game' from 2026, Lena Drukker’s 'Vlecht, Annabelle' from 2025, Kanmi Olukann’s 'Kante' from 2021, Roman Manfred’s 'From the series 'Fair Play'' from 2024, and Howard Milton’s 'The Mighty Penguins' from 2025.
The gallery page lists opening times as Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, 11am to 4pm, with Mondays closed including Bank Holidays. It also places the exhibition among the venue’s other summer and autumn listings, including 'The Ruskin Collection: Storm-Cloud – The Look of the Sky' and 'The Bobeam Tree'.
Sheffield Museums’ accompanying email newsletter also points to family-focused programming linked to the exhibition. On 5 August, 'Family Activity: Invent a Game' at the Millennium Gallery invites visitors to create “their very own beautiful game inspired Sheffield’s fantastic footballing heritage,” while the gallery also lists later events such as a lunchtime talk titled 'Sheffield is the World’s Cultural Home of Modern Football' and an 'In Conversation' event featuring Alina Akbar and Conor Rogers on 10 September 2026. The main exhibition itself remains on view at the Millennium Gallery from 11 June to 13 September 2026.
