12 art competitions in 2026 – international awards, exhibitions and professional exposure

This selection is a quick way to figure out where to apply right now, without wasting time on a haphazard search. We’ve hand-picked competitions with different entry requirements: from single works to full-scale series, and from online formats to exhibitions and biennials.
The competitions are listed by deadline — from the nearest to the longer-term opportunities. This allows you to immediately plan your submission strategy and not miss out on real opportunities.
It is important to understand that a competition is not just about the prize. It is a gateway to the professional community, publications, exhibitions and visibility.

FiKVA 2026
An international competition focusing on realistic and figurative painting. It is not the individual work that matters, but rather a cohesive series and the artist’s stance within the tradition of realism.
Prizes: €5,500 and an online exhibition.
Suitable if you have a series and work with realistic visual logic.
Not suitable if your practice is not figurative.
Deadline: 22 April 2026

Prix Arts numériques 2026
An institutional award from the French Academy of Fine Arts. The award assesses the ability to integrate digital art into an artistic and cultural context.
Prizes: €20,000 and recognition from the institution.
Suitable if you work at the intersection of art and technology.
Not suitable if the project relies solely on technology without a concept.
Deadline: 30 April 2026

Alpine Fellowship Visual Art Prize 2026
An international prize for a single artwork, where the focus is not on technique but on the precision and depth of artistic expression. A theme is set each year—in 2026 it is ‘Joy’—but what matters is not illustration, but the artist’s interpretation and the work’s depth of meaning.
Prizes: £3,000 (1st place), £1,000 (2nd and 3rd place) + international exposure.
Suitable if you have a strong standalone piece and are able to articulate an idea within a single work.
Not suitable if you do not have work on the theme or if your project requires a series and a lengthy exploration.
Deadline: 1 May 2026

The Prix Virginia
An international award for women photographers, which evaluates not individual images but a cohesive body of work and artistic vision. This is not a general open call, but an award with clear criteria: entries are considered as a series—a narrative and a statement—rather than a collection of images.
Prizes: €10,000 + exhibition + curatorial support and international exposure.
Suitable if you have a fully developed photographic project and treat the series as a statement.
Not suitable if you are not a woman or are submitting isolated images without an overarching structure.
Deadline: 7 May 2026

Bourse du 1er livre photo
A grant for the creation of a photobook as a fully-fledged artistic and publishing project. The programme supports not individual images, but a body of work that forms a coherent sequence and constitutes a self-contained statement. It includes collaboration with a French publisher and covers the entire process—from concept to print.
Prizes: €5,000 for production + publication of a photo book with a print run of 500 copies.
Suitable if the project can be structured as a book and you have a coherent concept for the publication.
‘Not suitable if you are not prepared to work with the publishing process’ — this is also an important criterion.
Deadline: 17 May 2026

Global Peace Photo Award
An international photography competition focusing on the theme of peace as a lived experience – in people, relationships and social processes. The competition assesses not only visual impact, but also the ability of the work to address complex themes through photography. Entries may consist of either individual images or series.
Prizes: up to €7,000 + international exhibitions and attendance at the awards ceremony in Vienna.
Suitable if you work in documentary, social or investigative photography.
Not suitable if your work lacks context or is based solely on aesthetics.
Deadline: 24 May 2026

Young Generation Art Award 2027
An international award for artists aged 35 and under, designed to facilitate entry into the professional contemporary art scene. It is not just the outcome that matters, but the process itself: the selection process, publications and exhibitions shape the artist’s future career path.
Prizes: €10,000 + exhibition + publication and professional visibility.
Suitable if you already have an established practice and are ready for a professional presentation.
Not suitable if you are over 35 or are at an early stage and are only just building your portfolio.
Deadline: 30 May 2026

Artes Mundi 12
One of the most prestigious contemporary art awards in Europe, to which artists are invited not through an open call but via nomination and professional recognition. Participation entails inclusion in an international biennial and an institutional art context.
Prizes: £40,000 + participation in the biennial and an exhibition in the UK.
Suitable if you are already working internationally and are established in the professional field.
Not suitable if you are looking for an open call with a self-submission process.
Deadline: 31 May 2026

Arte Laguna Prize 2026
One of the largest international contemporary art competitions, featuring an exhibition of finalists in Venice and direct access to the professional art world. Entries are judged by an international jury, and taking part offers the opportunity to showcase your work to curators, galleries and collectors.
Prizes: €10,000 + exhibition in Venice + professional opportunities and international visibility.
Suitable if you want to break into the European and international scene.
Not suitable if you are not ready for international submission and competition.
Deadline: 1 June 2026

COPIC Award 2026
An international illustration competition with a straightforward entry process, where visual expressiveness and technical skill are the primary criteria. This is one of the most accessible formats for entry: a single piece created using Copic markers is sufficient.
Prizes: up to $1,500, plus an exhibition of finalists’ work and international exposure.
Suitable if you work in illustration or graphic design and have a confident command of the technique.
Not suitable if the project requires a complex conceptual explanation or is not related to illustration.
Deadline: 30 June 2026

Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2026
A major international contemporary art competition with strong media coverage and a focus on realistic and imaginative realism.
Prizes: total prize fund of $76,000 + publications + exhibitions and international exposure.
Suitable if you have a distinctive visual style and work in a realistic or imaginative manner.
Not suitable if your practice is not yet established or lacks visual expressiveness.
Deadline: 17 July 2026

British Art Prize 2026
An international competition featuring an online selection process and an exhibition in London, offering a clear pathway from submission to publication and public display. The format combines digital submission with a physical exhibition.
Prizes: £10,000 prize fund + exhibition + publication and professional visibility.
Suitable if you are ready to have your work publicly displayed and enter the exhibition circuit.
Not suitable if you are not prepared to handle the logistics, dispatch and return of your work.
Deadline: 7 August 2026

We hope you’ve already found the competitions that are right for you and aren’t wasting time on random applications. If not, save this list and come back to it later.
Also, take a look at our article on 12 art residencies – this is a different kind of opportunity where the process, the environment and the development of your practice are what matter most.