UK, government launches competition to design Queen Elizabeth II memorial

The British government has launched a competition to select a team of top artists, architects and engineers to design the Queen Elizabeth Memorial, a national memorial in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. In the government’s intent, the memorial, to be located in St James’s Park near Buckingham Palace, is to be “one of the most significant projects in recent British history,” commemorating the UK’s longest-serving monarch with a design “that is beautiful, inclusive and sustainable.”
The notice also calls for a new bridge over the lake and opportunities for artistic interventions and an improved landscape.

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, led by Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former private secretary, in collaboration with competition specialists Malcolm Reading Consultants, will manage the competition, which will consist of two phases:

the first phase (Dec. 12, 2024 to Jan. 20, 2025) will be open to interested applicants, with no request for initial design proposals; in the second phase (spring 2025) for a shortlist of five selected competitors there will be a ten-week design phase. The shortlist is expected to be announced in spring 2025, while the final design will be unveiled in 2026, on the 100th anniversary of the Queen’s birth, after approval by the Prime Minister and King Charles III.

Features of the memorial

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial, the competition announcement says, “will be of exceptional design quality and an emotionally powerful place, with celebratory spaces and areas to invite reflection.” The committee’s intention is “to place a stand-alone memorial that includes a figurative representation of the late Queen at the entrance to Marlborough Gate.”
The winner of the competition will work in collaboration with the Committee to select the artist/sculptor who will create the figurative statue to ensure a harmonious design overall.

Cost

The government has identified a tentative budget of £23-46 million, excluding VAT, for the project and also includes the replacement of the Blue Bridge, a major public attraction in St James’s Park.
The final cost will depend on the winning project. The committee will judge all applications on a value-for-money basis.

Statements

“We want to attract the best teams of architects, artists, landscape architects, engineers and other specialists to work with us to create an outstanding design for the memorial site,” said committee chairman Lord Janvrin. “The challenge in the second phase for the finalists will be to evoke memories of Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary contribution to national life and to tell the story of Her Majesty’s long reign through an original design that takes into account the unique environment. The memorial should simply be a wonderful place, a place to visit with family and friends, to enjoy and reflect.”

“Queen Elizabeth II was our longest-serving monarch and Her Majesty dedicated her life to serving the people of the United Kingdom. This memorial will provide a permanent tribute to the late Queen’s legacy, offering space for reflection and celebration. We want the best architects and designers to come forward with their ideas,” added Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden

Full project details and how to enter the competition are available on the dedicated competition website: https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/queenelizabethmemorial

Pictured, Photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Dorothy Wilding, detail (1952)

UK, government launches competition to design Queen Elizabeth II memorial

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