Artists from across the world longlisted for Annwn Prize 2027

Wales Millennium Centre and Crossover Labs today reveal the longlist for the Annwn Prize 2027 at The Big Thing conference in Llandudno. The 14 longlisted works come from around the world and showcase some of the most inventive immersive storytelling created over the past 18 months, forming the longlist for the first global award of its kind.

Now in its second year, the Annwn Prize, supported by Peter and Janet Swinburn, is a global award conceived and created by Wales Millennium Centre, with support from Crossover Labs, celebrating the best in immersive storytelling. It recognises work that places audiences at the centre of the experience and uses creative technology to change how stories are told and felt. This year's longlist spans disciplines and creative practice including virtual reality, mixed reality, installation, interactive theatre and multisensory work, reflecting the breadth and ambition of immersive storytelling being created around the world today.

The Annwn Prize 2027 longlist, in alphabetical order, is:

While the works span different technologies, formats and cultures, many turn to deeply personal storytelling to explore the relationship between mind, body and environment. Grief and loss run through The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up and Blur; memory and identity through Mekwâc and Dark Rooms; anxiety, depression and the mind through MIRAGE and Sense of Nowhere. The body and mortality shape The Baby Factory Is Closed, Temping and Voooooo—Peeeeee—, while environmental change drives Gondwana and Fossilised Futures.

Others turn to history, conflict and play: the archives of Formula One in Black Cats & Chequered Flags, the frontline of Ukraine in In 36,000 Ways, and free will and consciousness in Arcade.

Together they show how widely immersive storytelling is now being used, and how directly it can place audiences at the heart of a story.

The 2027 longlist follows the success of the Annwn Prize’s inaugural year. In 2026, the Prize’s four shortlisted works were presented as finalists in an exhibition at Wales Millennium Centre, attracting 2,271 visitors and giving audiences in Wales the opportunity to experience some of the most acclaimed immersive storytelling from around the world.

Graeme Farrow, Chief Creative and Content Officer at Wales Millennium Centre, said:

"The Annwn Prize exists to champion immersive storytelling and to give it a home in Wales. The longlist is how we recognise the wider field each year, before bringing a selection of works to Cardiff. It's part of a longer-term commitment, as we work towards a purpose-built home for immersive experiences by 2030."

David Massey, Executive Producer, Creative Technology and Storytelling at Wales Millennium Centre, said:

"What stands out this year is how we’re beginning to see an exciting new trend on how immersive stories are conceived and being made. These are fifteen very sophisticated, ambitious story driven works that span Europe, The Middle East, Asia, Australia, Canada and the USA. Collectively they give a good picture of where immersive storytelling is and what it hopes it could be. The Annwn Prize is a moment in the calendar where we can recognise this by celebrating the changemakers who create bold work with real emotional courage.”

From this longlist, a committee of industry experts will select the shortlist of finalists, to be announced on 28 January 2027. Tickets for the exhibition will go on sale early 2027. The finalist works will then be presented in a major exhibition at Wales Millennium Centre from 10 May to 27 June 2027, where audiences can experience them before an independent jury selects the overall winner.

Supported by Peter and Janet Swinburn, the winning artist or studio will receive £20,000 and a bespoke residency to support the development of new work.