The Cass Art Prize 2026
The Cass Art Prize 2026 champions contemporary art from the UK and the Republic of Ireland, with a £10,000 cash main prize. There are additional awards worth over £20,000 including a Students Award, an Art Educators Award and more! Plus a prestigious group exhibition at The Bomb Factory, Marylebone, London in autumn 2026.
Works are judged by a respected panel of guest judges with extensive knowledge and experience across the art industry, including Art Historian & Author Katy Hessel, Curator, Writer & Broadcaster Ekow Eshun, Founder of Ginny on Frederick Freddie Powell and Artists Antonia Showering, Daniel Crews-Chubb, Kaye Donachie & Phoebe Boswell.
Enter by 12 May 2026.
New Contemporaries 2026-27
Selected artists will join the New Contemporaries Artist Development Programme from September 2026, culminating in a group exhibition at Focal Point Gallery and other partner venues across Southend-on-Sea, opening in June 2027. Applications are welcomed from emerging and early career artists aged 21 or over based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. There are no strict requirements around education, training, upper age limit or career path.
Apply by 30 March 2026.
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize
The annual Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize is now open. The UK’s leading open exhibition dedicated to contemporary drawing allows artists UK and worldwide to submit up to three drawings for consideration. All selected drawings will be included in a high-profile exhibition held at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London from 17 September - 4 October 2026, with the exhibition then touring to venues across the UK into 2027.
Prizes include the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize of £15,000, the Trinity Buoy Wharf Student Prize of £2,000 and the Trinity Buoy Wharf Three Boroughs Award for local artists.
Enter by Tuesday 9 June 2026.
Aesthetica Art Prize 2026
The Aesthetica Art Prize celebrates contemporary art across a range of media. This award offers artists opportunities for exhibition at a major public gallery alongside publication in Aesthetica Magazine.
The winner will receive £10,000 prize money as well as opportunities for wider exposure and development.
The competition is open to artists working in any genre, on any theme, however the panel are particularly interested in works that reflect upon our ever changing world. The prize is open to artists of all levels.
Enter by 31 August 2026.
Jerwood Artist in Residence at the Soane
The Drawing Office was where renowned architect John Soane’s draftsmen and apprentices worked up his celebrated projects. Just as Soane supported the next generation of architectural talent, the restoration of the Drawing Office in 2023 marked the beginning of a new residency programme at the Soane.
Two three-month residents are hosted per year (in the Spring and the Autumn). The two residents are able to work in the Office and will also be able to use the Museum’s collection, exhibitions and education programme to inspire and inform their work.
Apply by 31 March 2026.