The Linbury Prize for Stage Design is the most prestigious prize for emerging stage designers with professional focus on theatre, dance, and opera companies in the United Kingdom.
In 1973, Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG (John Sainsbury) and his wife Lady Sainsbury, CBE, the former ballerina Anya Linden, founded the charitable Linbury Trust (Linbury is a portmanteau combining the names Linden and Sainsbury).
The Linbury Prize, intending to launch the careers of young stage designers, is funded entirely by the Linbury Trust and supported by a group of advocates, endorsing its aims.
The first Linbury Prizes were awarded in 1987.
The selection to determine the winners follows a procedure:[1][2] From 1987 until 1995, three prizes, including the overall winner (OW), were awarded biennially.