Artist Opportunities

A selection of international open calls and opportunities for contemporary art-related competitions, prizes, exhibitions, awards, proposals, and grants for artists, writers and curators.

9 Competition opportunities listed

Sorted by closing soon.

Competition

Future of Money Award UK

Updated: 25 January 2024

For this year’s FOM awards, we challenge creative thinkers and makers (of all types) to speculate and create a vision of a National Wealth Service. £500 PRIZE for the three shortlisted finalists for project development + an opportunity to present to financial and payment industry experts in London. (Travel Expenses Incl.)

Eligibility: Anyone can apply. However, final concepts need to be communicated effectively via a short video (if shortlisted as a finalist). Hence if you don’t have skills in visualisation, but have a great idea, perhaps befriend someone who can help? If you are a brilliant social scientist with an innovative approach, perhaps join forces with a designer or artist?

What you get: £500 for the three shortlisted finalists for project development + an opportunity to present to financial and payment industry experts in London. (Travel Expenses Incl.)

Deadline 28 March 2024

Future of Money Design Award, UK

Between November and December 2024, the 11th edition of the International Festival of Theater Art and New Technologies "The Wonders of the Possible" will be held in Cagliari. The LMDP Festival supports the development and experimentation of new creative, theatrical and artistic languages through new technologies, with the programming of shows, performances, installations, workshops, and conferences. Kyber Teatro offers all Italian and foreign artists and performers, including emerging and/or under-35 companies, the opportunity to participate in the Festival.

Eligibility: Companies, Individual Artists; Companies/Artists emerging or/and under 35; Companies/Non-emerging artists of all ages (we encourage applications from artists at any stage of their careers); Maximum 3 participants per project.

What you get: The winner receives the possibility to perform two replicas of their show, a small reimbursement of expenses, and will be guaranteed full coverage of mobility costs.

Deadline 02 April 2024

Kyberteatro, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

This Open Call presents an exciting opportunity for up to 40 selected artists to exhibit their work for a year in three of London’s prime hospital exhibition spaces.

The Responsa Foundation champions projects with a strong positive social impact and public engagement at their core. We have teamed up with NHS Imperial Health Charity, dedicated to enhancing patient care and experience by improving health outcomes through the provision of artworks in hospitals.

Eligibility: This is an open call for practicing artists of any background to submit an A4-size artwork, accompanied by a separate short text describing what 'Homeland' means to you.

What you get: Opportunity to exhibit your artwork in three major London NHS hospitals for a year

Deadline 13 April 2024

The Responsa Foundation, London

Entries for the 2024 edition of the international Unpublished Photo contest promoted by the Fondazione culture e musei & MUSEC Lugano are now open. Young photographers have the chance until 15.4 to submit their portfolios of 10 unpublished photos. The aim of UP24 is to embrace & attract new, young & emerging contemporary photographers. Now in its fifth edition, the competition continues to attract a growing number of young, global artists. There is no theme or fees to pay and the four lucky winners will have their work displayed in a public exhibition at MUSEC between 31 October 2024 to 2 March 2025.

Eligibility: All photographers born between 1994 and 2006 can participate.

What you get: The UP24 competition will award the first runner-up a monetary prize of CHF 3’500; while the second to fourth place receive CHF 500 each. The four winners will be also awarded the publication of a catalogue published by the FCM containing all the photographs submitted to the competition, and an exhibition in Lugano, in the MUSEC venue. The costs of these valorisation activities amount to CHF 50’000 and are fully covered by the FCM.

Deadline 15 April 2024

MUSEC, global

Competition

just added

Blunden Prize 2024: Commissions and up to £75K in Cash Prize

Updated: 27 March 2024

The Blunden Prize 2024 is now open! We’re calling for artists from all disciplines to put forward their ideas for an art installation at our Elm Fields Farm scheme in Coventry, which is set to provide 148 affordable homes to the local community.

Eligibility: Artists of any discipline and experience level

What you get: The winner of the Blunden Prize 2024 will receive a cash prize of £75,000, which will be paid in installments as outlined in the terms and conditions. They will also be commissioned to produce their piece for Elm Fields Farm and receive two additional commissions for public art at other Stonewater developments. Two runners-up will receive a commission from Stonewater to curate a piece of public art for a site anywhere in the UK. The location, budget, and location of this site will be shared with each artist.

Deadline 26 April 2024

Stonewater, UK nationwide

Competition

just added

Gdansk Dance Festival: The Solo Dance Contest 2024

Updated: 27 March 2024

The Contest will take place during the 16th Gdansk Dance Festival from the 26th to 30th of August 2024. Only autonomous solos that premiered/will premiere between January 1, 2023, and May 03, 2024, or will be shown for the first time during the contest can be submitted to the competition. The required length of the solo is between 5 and 20 minutes. The competition aims to support dancers and to promote broadly understood contemporary dance (contemporary dance / contemporary ballet).

Eligibility: All the professional dancers (with documented artistic activities or/and diploma in higher education in the field of dance), who are at least 18 years old.

What you get: The Prize pool is 6000 EUR total, 5500 EUR will be divided by the jury between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes and 500 EUR will be awarded as the Audience Prize.

Deadline 17 May 2024

Gdański Festival Tańca, Gdansk, Poland

Competition | Promoted

just added

The Cass Art Prize 2024

Updated: 26 March 2024

The Cass Art Prize 2024 presented by The Cass Group, aims to champion contemporary art from across the UK and Ireland, with a £10,000 cash prize and a free stand at The Other Art Fair in spring 2025 awarded to the overall winner of the competition. There are additional prizes worth £5,000 including a Student Award, an Art Educators Award and more! Plus a prestigious group exhibition at Copeland Gallery, London in November 2024.

Eligibility: The prize is open to artists of all abilities based in the UK & the Republic of Ireland aged 18+. Accepting all forms of 2D & 3D artworks made using analogue materials. Not accepting photography, videography, sound art, architectural designs, NFTs, fully digital and AI artworks. Artworks must have been created since 1st March 2021. Artworks which have previously won prizes or awards may not be submitted. Artists can enter up to 3 artworks.

What you get: The main winner will receive £10,000 cash plus a stand at Saatchi Art's The Other Art Fair in spring 2025. Works will be judged by a respected panel of guest judges with extensive knowledge and experience across the art industry, and selected artists will be invited to take part in a group exhibition at Copeland Gallery in London in November 2024. There are additional prizes worth £5,000 including a Students Award, an Art Educators Award and more! 5/20/2024 https://www.cassart.co.uk/thecassartprize/

Fee: £10 for 1 entry, £16 for 2 entries or £22 for 3 entries. Students and Art Educators get £2 off these fees

Deadline 20 May 2024

The Cass Art Prize, UK & Republic of Ireland

Competition | Promoted

The 17th International ARC Salon Competition and NY Exhibition

Updated: 15 March 2024

The International ARC Salon stands as the largest competitions dedicated to 21st Century Realism in the world. Boasting over $130,000 in cash awards and offering international recognition through partnerships with prestigious magazines, galleries, museums, and more, this is an opportunity you don't want to miss. Categories include Figurative, Portraiture, Imaginative Realism, Drawing, Landscape, Still Life, Plein Air Painting, Fully From Life, Sculpture, Animals, and a special category for teens. Artists may enter and win in one or multiple categories.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all who wish to apply worldwide. There is no limit to the number of artworks you may enter. Works do not need to be available for sale or for the live exhibition to compete and win. All entries must be original artwork, conceived and created by the entrant within the past three years. Works must be original works of art and not copies of works by other artists.

What You Get: Over $130,000 in cash awards & international recognition through partnerships with prestigious magazines, galleries, museums, and more. More than 180 awards and honorable mentions are up for grabs. Applicants will have the chance to participate in the planned exhibition at Sotheby’s New York in the summer of 2026. All winners, honorable mentions, finalists, and semi-finalists will have their entries accompanied by their name and artwork details displayed on the ARC website. Biographies, photos of the artist, and painting descriptions provided during the entry process may also be shown for all qualifying works. All winners, honorable mentions, and some finalists will be featured in the 17th/18th International ARC Salon Book, "International Realism." Additionally, all winners and honorable mentions will receive an award certificate suitable for framing.

Fee: $93.00 for the first entry (includes a free copy of the 17th/18th ARC Salon book if shipping is paid at checkout. This book is an approximately 500-page hardbound book that will retail between $65 - $75). Additional entries are $73.00, and entering the same work in an additional category is $53.00 per category. For students aged 13-19 years competing in the Teen Category, the fee is $28.

Deadline 13 June 2024

Art Renewal Renter, Digital competition, NY exhibition

The Almenara Art Prize is an international online painting competition that offers more than 27000€ in cash awards and other prizes. Our goal is to give living artists more visibility and opportunities to promote their work

Eligibility: Open globally to anyone over 18 and of all experience levels. We welcome mediums in oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolour, graphite, charcoal, gouache, tempera, and all traditional mediums.

What you get: More than 27000€ in cash and other prizes and over $6000 in products. Winners enjoy a stay in Spain, an exhibition in Córdoba, international exposure, and exhibition opportunities. The Young Award offers up to 500€, an artist residency in Andalucia, and a place in The 2024 Almenara Art Prize exhibition. You will have exposure to an international collector base, opportunities to sell your work, and potential publication in international magazines.

Fee: First entry 45€ Additional entries:29€. Here is included to submit the same artwork in an additional category. Young Category: 29€.

Deadline 30 June 2024

The Almenara Collection

About Artist Opportunities

This is an edited listing. We publish a selection of open calls from a pool of submissions and editorial research. Only open calls we believe offer meaningful benefits to applicants at different stages of their careers will be published. To recommend an opportunity for listing, please fill in the form in the sidebar. We email around 23,500 art practitioners weekly with selected opportunities.

Submit an opportunity

To recommend an opportunity fill in the form here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

And receive more editorial like this directly to your inbox.