The 18th Year of the Painting Competition Opens

A unique chance for young painters arise again

For the 18th time, the VUB Foundation invites the current generation of emerging professional painters to participate in the Painting Competition. One of the longest-running programs dedicated to support and the visibility of young painting talents in Slovakia kicks off its new year on 1 April. Active artists under 35 years who are working in the medium of painting are invited to submit their work. In the next rounds, an international jury of experts will select twenty finalists and determine the three winners in the autumn. The VUB Foundation will support these finalists at the start of their careers with 20,000 euros. The foundation will also present the work of all 20 finalists to the attention of professionals and the general public at the Painting 2023 traditional exhibition.



Artists in the early stages of their artistic careers can once again submit their work to the evaluation of renowned European experts in contemporary painting, and compete for public recognition as well as the title of holder of the prestigious  "Painting - VUB Foundation Painting for Painting for Young Artists" award. The intention of this most distinctive initiative aimed at evaluating and appreciating the quality of artistic creation has remained the same for the past 18 years: to help the creators themselves, as well as present the most up-to-date young visual art to the public in the long term at any given time.

Since its inception in 2006, the competition has awarded 44 painters and distributed financial support totaling 340,000 euros. The best painter of the last year was Ján Bátorek, who won a well-deserved victory after having been among the finalists in the previous two editions of the competition.

Registration is open from 1 April to 10 June
The conditions to apply regarding the profile of the candidate as well as the parameters of the submitted works are available at https://www.malbaroka.sk/prihlasenie/. Registration is open via the online form available here from 1 April and the deadline for applications is 10 June 2023.

The international jury is a key pillar in the organization of each year's competition. Renowned European painters, art theoreticians, curators, gallerists and educators will once again oversee the impartial and professional evaluation of the submitted works. During the summer, the jury will compile a shortlist of 20 artists from the entries and decide on three winners in September, based on a physical assessment of the submitted works. The VUB Foundation will award them prizes of 3500, 6500 and 10,000 euros and arrange a public exhibition in the Nedbalka Gallery, to which everyone will have free entry. It will also be an opportunity for the other 17 finalists.