Introducing the 20 finalists of the Maľba 2023 competition

The Painting Competition presents 20 finalists, increasing the amount of the prize for the winners

The competition, which in its 18 years of existence has become one of the most distinctive, highly respected initiatives for the promotion and visibility of contemporary visual arts in Slovakia, continues its program. An international jury of renowned experts has selected the final line-up of 20 young female and male painters who will compete for the title of 2023 Painting award winners in early autumn. The VUB Foundation, which has been organizing the competition since the beginning, has decided to increase the amount of the prize money for the three winners. With the intention of stimulating professional growth, in addition to public honor from the art scene, the award-winning authors will receive rewards totaling up to 30,000 euros.

The purpose of the Painting Competition - VUB Foundation Prize for Painting for Young Artists - is to support the greatest hopes among the emerging generations of artists in Slovakia and to educate the public about contemporary painting art. This mission is also confirmed by its current, already 18th year. From more than 100 entries, the expert jury selected a significant number of new names for the final twenty. Up to 12 debutants among the finalists have been given the opportunity to present their works through this highly watched platform.

The finalists of the Painting Competition are (in alphabetical order):

Zuzana Badinková, Barbora Durajová, Juraj Ďuriš, Oskar Felber, Paulína Gajerová, Alexandra Hrehová, Dajana Hroššová, Monika Hurajová, Dávid Javorský, Kristína Kandriková, Samuel Kollárik, Dominika Kováčiková, Richard Marco, Ivana Mojšová, Miroslav Sandanus, Dominika Škorváneková, Anna Štefanovičová, Michaela Šuranská, Helen Tóth, Dušana Vrbovská.

The international jury guarantees an objective evaluation
Each year, the competition works are evaluated by a jury composed of prominent representatives of the European art scene. This ensures that the competition is always awarded to the objectively best among the applicants. Within the 18th edition, the twenty finalists as well as the winners themselves are being selected by Michal Novotný, art curator, art critic and above all director of the modern art collections of the National Gallery Prague, Austrian-Slovenian art historian, independent curator and educator Hana Ostan Ožbolt and Jaime Valero, painter and visual artist from Spain. The jury team for Slovakia is rounded off by art historian, critic and curator Ivana Moncoľová.

The winners will receive an "injection" of 30,000 euros for their next creation
In the second round, an expert jury will judge the submitted original final works and decide on three winners who will receive, in addition to valuable references for the development of their profession in the future, financial rewards in the amount of:
1st place  15,000 eur
2nd place 10,000 eur
3rd place    5,000 eur

The painters of the year 2023 will receive the award on 21 September, during the opening of the final works at the Nedbalka Gallery in Bratislava. VUB, a member of the Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group, through its foundation, will subsequently make the exhibition of paintings available to the general public for a whole month.