Aesthetica Art Prize 2026
The Aesthetica Art Prize is run by Aesthetica Magazine, the UK contemporary art publication based in York. Founded in 2007, the prize has run annually for nearly two decades and is open across all media — Painting and Drawing; Video, Installation, and Performance; Photography, Digital Art and Installation; and Artists' Film. Photography submissions are evaluated alongside other categories rather than in a separate track.
The main prize is £10,000, with additional support including exhibition at a major UK public gallery, publication in Aesthetica Magazine, and inclusion in the prize's annual anthology. The prize runs an associated Future Now Symposium and publishes Future Now: 125 Contemporary Artists, a book featuring shortlisted and exhibited work from past cycles.
The 2026 jury draws from senior curators across major UK institutions: Carrie Chan (V&A), Charlotte Hale (V&A Dundee), Taous Dahmani (The Photographers' Gallery), Sarah Coulson (Yorkshire Sculpture Park), Poppy Bowers (The Whitworth), Dr James Finch (Royal Academy of Arts), Farah Dailami (The Hepworth Wakefield), artist Jason Bruges (Jason Bruges Studio), and producer Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf.
Entry fee is £25. The 2026 deadline is August 31, with results announced early 2027. The prize accepts work from artists at any career stage, with no nationality restriction.
Jury: Carrie Chan, Curator, V&A · Charlotte Hale, Head of Exhibitions, V&A Dundee · Taous Dahmani, Curator, The Photographers' Gallery · Sarah Coulson, Senior Curator, Yorkshire Sculpture Park · Jason Bruges, Artist, Jason Bruges Studio · Poppy Bowers, Senior Curator, The Whitworth · Dr James Finch, Senior Curator, Royal Academy of Arts · Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf, Producer & Commissioner · Farah Dailami, Assistant Curator, The Hepworth Wakefield
Organized by Aesthetica Magazine