About the charity

The Koestler Trust is the UKs best known prison arts charity. We award, exhibit and sell artworks by offenders, detainees and high security patients, in over 50 different artforms. Since our foundation in 1962 the Koestler Awards have become a prestigious fixture across the British criminal justice system, and our annual national exhibition has proved a unique opportunity to showcase the positive potential of offenders. Our two core aims are: * to help offenders lead more positive lives by motivating them to participate in the arts; and * to demonstrate the power of arts activity in the criminal justice system.