Graduating fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London will have a new prize to aim for from next year. DACS, the organisation that collects royalties for visual artists, has joined the university in launching an annual award that combines a £500 prize with practical teaching about artists' rights, announced on 29 October as part of a five-year partnership between the two organisations.

The award will run from 2027 to 2031, recognising one graduating student from the BA Fine Art degree each year. Academic staff and tutors will choose the recipient on the strength of their final show or their work overall, and the winner will be announced at the fine art degree show private view. Alongside the money, the recipient will get access to DACS expertise on copyright, licensing, the artist's resale right and the society's wider advocacy work.

The partnership extends beyond the prize itself. In February 2027 DACS will visit Goldsmiths to give an in-person talk to fine art students covering artists' rights, licensing, resale royalties and how the organisation campaigns on behalf of visual artists, timed to reach students as they prepare to enter professional practice.

The thinking behind the scheme is that rights knowledge is a working tool, not an afterthought. DACS's chief executive said understanding copyright, licensing and royalties was an important part of building a sustainable career, and that the partnership was designed to give graduates that grounding at the moment they need it most, as they move from art school into professional life.