The British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen won the 2026 Erasmus Prize, which comes with a $172,000 cash award.

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the 2026 Erasmus Prize to artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen. According to the foundation, McQueen’s works embody the theme of this year’s prize: Ecce Homo, Behold the Human Being.“McQueen is known for exploring who we are in moments of vulnerability, how we treat each other, and how history shapes our present, without judgment or fear of moral complexity.”