Alistair Hardaker
Image: The Sycamore Gap Tree near Hadrian's Wall prior to being felled © National Trust Images / John Millar
Open call for artists to use Sycamore Gap timber runs 13 Oct-17 Nov. Five shortlisted receive £5k, winner selected Feb 2026 with public vote input.
The National Trust has launched an open call for artists and organisations to create work using timber from the Sycamore Gap tree, felled illegally two years ago.
Approximately half of the tree’s timber will be made available for the commission. Proposals should explore themes including connection to nature, memory, place, or community. The commission is supported by a partnership board including Northumberland National Park Authority, Historic England, and the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership.
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The open call runs from 13 October to 17 November 2025. Five artists or collaborations will be shortlisted and awarded £5,000 to develop detailed proposals. The shortlisted artists will have access to a catalogue of available wood. A winner will be announced in February 2026, selected by sector experts with input from a public vote.
Annie Reilly, the National Trust’s public engagement director, said: “Two years ago, we lost something very special from a much-loved landscape. This commission is a way of marking that iconic tree’s legacy while continuing an important conversation about our collective relationship with nature.
“After carefully looking after the wood since the felling, we’re now ready to bring it back to the people, in a completely new and transformed way.
“We want artists and organisations to come up with proposals that will inspire the public to connect with nature and the landscapes around them, using the timber as a symbolic focal point. It could be a design for a single artwork for one location or several pieces or something more dispersed or participatory. We want to reach and engage many people and can’t wait to see the ideas.”
The commission forms part of a wider public engagement programme. The largest remaining section of the tree is on permanent display at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.
