DCCI Announces the David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award 2025 Winner

DCCI announced the winner of the David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award 2025. This year’s recipient is Peter Young, a stained glass artist from Dublin. The winner was announced at a special ceremony held in the David Shaw-Smith Library at the DCCI headquarters in Kilkenny. Along with a €5,000 prize, Peter received a commemorative award created by previous recipient Scott Benefield. The piece is a personalised sculpture of a landscape, created from glass rondels featuring a peach, violet and pink colour story (referencing Peter’s own use of handblown flat glass in his work), which have been mounted on a piece of green-veined Connemara marble.

Pictured: Peter Young

Established in 2022, the David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award champions Ireland’s master craftspeople in later stages of their careers – recognising years of dedication, outstanding contribution, and the potential to continue shaping their craft through the support of a new project.

It also honours the legacy of David Shaw-Smith, who with his wife Sally, produced and directed the acclaimed documentary series, Hands, and made over 138 television documentaries during his career.

The award is intended to invest in the future of Irish craft and judges are encouraged to consider not only the applicants’ past achievements but their future potential and how they might enrich the Irish design and craft landscape. This year’s judging panel comprised Mary Gallagher, curator and artist; Scott Benefield, designer and maker and 2024 winner, and Daniel Shaw-Smith, David’s son. DCCI has opened applications for the 2026 David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award, inviting master craftspeople aged over 50 to apply. A full list of criteria can be found here.

This year’s winner, Peter Young, has been working with stained glass for over thirty years. He studied design and illustration in Dublin and later undertook a postgrad in Advanced Stained Glass Studies at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design in London where he discovered artist, Cecil Collins, whose teachings and methodologies have had a profound influence on his work. Using finely worked etching and painting processes applied to handmade glass, he achieves modulations of tone, light and texture.

From his studio in Dublin, Peter continues to develop his practice through exhibiting, teaching and creating commissioned pieces for a range of different projects in private or public settings.

Peter’s winning proposal for the David Shaw-Smith Award was entitled ‘Drawing Rain’. It focused on the moods and mysteries of Irish weather, which permeates multiple aspects of life and culture. Peter’s proposed works are inspired by Irish names for rain – found in a book by the late Manchán Magan – such as ‘Spúrtach’ (splashing rain), or ‘Sánas’ (a lull in a rainstorm). The works will celebrate our deep connection to the natural world and the elements that govern us and will be handmade in stained glass.

Mary Blanchfield, CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said, “We are delighted to present the David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award to Peter Young. This award celebrates the extraordinary skill, dedication and creativity of Ireland’s master craftspeople, whose work continues to enrich our cultural heritage. By recognising this year’s winner, Peter Young and his outstanding contribution to his craft, we also honour the legacy of David Shaw-Smith and his deep appreciation for Ireland’s craft traditions. It is especially meaningful to present this award in the presence of Daniel Shaw-Smith, David’s son, whose continued support helps carry that legacy forward.”

Presenting the David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award, Daniel Shaw Smith said: “As David’s son, and on behalf of our family, it is a great honour to present this award in his name and to recognise excellence in Irish design and craft. My father had a deep admiration for the makers who sustain Ireland’s craft traditions, and he devoted much of his life to documenting and celebrating their work through his films. He believed these skills were an essential part of our cultural heritage. I think he would be truly delighted to see that legacy continuing through this award, and especially through the remarkable craftspeople whose dedication and talent keep these traditions alive today.”

To learn more about the David Shaw-Smith Award and apply for 2026, visit: https://www.dcci.ie/whats-on/david-shaw-smith-award/ 

ENDS

For more information, please contact Eimear Harding, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, DCCI, 083 023 8743 or email [email protected]

For further press information please contact Claire Feely, Laura Daly or Eliza Gallagher at Elevate PR, 01 662 5652 or email [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]

About Design & Crafts Council Ireland

Design & Crafts Council Ireland is the national agency for craft and design in Ireland, we support designers and makers to develop their businesses in a sustainable way, and advocate for the societal benefits of craft and design. DCCI’s activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment via Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 68 member organisations and over 3,500 registered clients.

Shortlist of makers:

The shortlisted makers show the high level of skill and talent that these awards have attracted from Ireland’s community of master craftspeople. They come from many different areas of craft, combining traditional skills with contemporary ideas. Each maker shows great dedication, creativity and attention to detail in their work. Their achievements highlight both the deep roots of Irish craft and its continuing importance today. Together, they represent the best of Irish craftsmanship and reflect the true standing of the awards.

Maker | Discipline | County

• Peter Young | Stained Glass | Dublin
• Stevan Hartung | Wood – Furniture | Wicklow
• Stephen O’Briain | Wood – Furniture  | Carlow
• Martha Quinn | Stone sculptor | Sligo
• Beth Moran | Weaver  | Mayo
• Holger Lonze | Sculptor and boat builder  | Kerry
• Laura O’Hagan | Architectural ceramics & mosaics  | Wicklow
• Lucina Lennon | Interior Architect  | Wicklow
• Patricia Millar | Clay  | Antrim