Erarta Museum presents the 2026 Erarta Prize exhibition featuring the nominees for its annual contemporary art prize
- The total prize value for the artists is 3.5 million rubles
- The only contemporary art prize awarded through a public vote rather than by a board of experts
- The voting is already open to all active Erarta Members and Ticket holders
The Erarta Prize is an annual contemporary art prize judged by the viewers. This premise is consistent with Erarta’s core philosophy: art is being created by the artist, but it is the viewers’ perception that makes it truly powerful.
For the Prize’s fourth edition in 2026, Erarta once again encourages its visitors to select their favourite artwork according to their own choices and preferences. As always, Erarta Museum acts as the curator of the contestants’ exhibition (by selecting the exhibits and staging the actual show), but neither takes part in determining the winners nor invites other experts from the professional community to do so.
The nominees’ artworks are showcased in a special exhibition at Erarta’s Grand Hall from 6 February through 7 June 2026. A total of 40 artists compete for the 2026 Erarta Prize. Each of them will receive a guaranteed reward that will depend on their exact ranking. The voting takes place in two rounds. Additional details of the voting procedure, prize money distribution, and other new features can be found here.
For the 2026 edition of the Prize, all nominated artists enjoy the opportunity to sell their works featured in the exhibition through the agency of Erarta Museum. This means that from now on the viewers not only have their say in the prize money distribution but can also acquire their favourite artwork for their private collection. All exhibits will remain on display for the duration of the show and will be transferred to their new owners only after the project’s results are announced.
Launched in 2023, the Erarta Prize was awarded the title of Project of the Year in the Arts Category by the Delovoy Peterburg daily business newspaper in the same year. The enthusiastic feedback received from everyone involved – artists and viewers alike – keeps this project going. Visit prize.erarta.com to learn more about the Erarta Prize.
The past Erarta Prize nominees continue to actively collaborate with the museum: some of their works were added to Erarta’s permanent collection, and several artists were invited by the Curatorial Team to have their solo exhibitions at Erarta, more than a dozen of which have been staged already. We are looking forward to new exciting discoveries!
Erarta Museum invites everyone to take an active part in staging the exhibition and determining the winners of the 2026 Erarta Prize. This is going to be unmissable!
