Contemporary artist awards celebrate and highlight outstanding new talent and can act as industry trendsetters. They often come with grants, scholarships, and exhibitions, offering great opportunities for artists to promote and fund their work. Below, you will find a selection of the most prestigious art recognitions and renowned international art awards.
Future Generation Art Prize
The Future Generation Art Prize is one of the most famous art prizes. It is awarded every two years in the field of fine arts. This award brings together the best representatives of the art world, promoting a younger generation of artists. One of the most prestigious art recognitions is open to artists from all over the world aged 35 and under. Its patrons are Andreas Gursky, Jeff Koons, Damian Hirst, and Takashi Murakami.
Aesthetica Art Prize
Established in 2007, the Aesthetica Art Prize is open to works in any genre and on any subject, but with a particular interest in works that reflect an ever-changing world. International established and emerging practitioners can submit their work. The award includes an exhibition as well as a publication featuring longlisted and shortlisted works from March to August in York, UK. The winners of both the main prize and the new prize are awarded at Private View, with £5,000 and £1,000 respectively awarded, among other artist awards.
Hugo Boss Prize
Established by the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1996, the Hugo Boss Award is given biennially to an artist or group of artists working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Hugo Boss Prize is one of the renowned global artist awards. It honors outstanding achievements in contemporary art and artists whose practices are among the most innovative and influential of our time.
Jameel Prize
The Jameel Prize, established by the Victoria and Albert Museum, is an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. Exploring the relationship between Islamic traditions of art, craft, and design and works of contemporary art, he takes part in the broader debate about Islamic culture and its role today. The nominees work in fields as diverse as fashion, multimedia installation, and painting.
The Lumen Prize for Digital Art
Open to artists worldwide, this digital art competition is organized by Lumen Art Projects Ltd. Lumen Art Projects Ltd is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to providing new opportunities for digital artists around the world. The rules of the competition for one of the prestigious art recognitions are relatively free. The only requirement is that the submitted work must be related to technology. Categories include still images, moving images, XR, 3D/interactive, and artificial intelligence. Finalists are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award and the Lumen Gold Award, and all female finalists are eligible for the Rapoport Award for Women in Art and Technology.
World Illustration Awards
Open to artists from all over the world, this is one of the best-known art prizes for illustrators. Creative talents are invited to submit work created or published since January 2018 in 8 different categories. The winners not only win art grants but also receive invaluable publicity around the world, such as a marketing package in the Illustration Handbook, exposure at a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to an awards night, an event on the calendar of every illustration agency and publisher.
ING Discerning Eye
Sponsored by ING Commercial Banking, the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is an exhibition of small works independently selected by six prominent figures in the art world: two artists, two collectors, and two critics. The uniqueness of each work chosen by a prominent person, as opposed to a group selection, has earned the exhibition an excellent reputation among art lovers and collectors alike.
