Erarta Prize is an annual contemporary art prize, the first one of its kind to be judged by the viewers rather than by a closed board of experts. 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. This makes Erarta Prize essentially different from other art prizes, reflecting the key principles of Erarta Museum:

• any work of art is a product of joint effort of its creator and the viewer, thus making the viewer a vital part of the creative process;

• art speaks to everyone, and not just the professional community;

• sharing becomes the spirit of the present time, and contemporary art should keep up with it;

• it is more important to love art than to be able to judge it according to generally accepted criteria.

Helping people to grow to love contemporary art is a crucial part of Erarta Museum’s mission. In each year’s edition of the Prize, the viewers are encouraged to choose only one artwork out of the entire pool of works featured in the nominees’ exhibition according to their own choices and preferences. Erarta Museum acts as the curator of the annual nominees’ 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.

Launched in 2023, the project was justly awarded the title of Project of the Year in the Arts Category by the Delovoy Peterburg daily business newspaper. In 2024, the total prize value for the artists was increased from 2.5 to 3.5 million rubles, while its distribution procedure was updated according to the viewers’ feedback.

Scroll to the top of this page to learn more about the rules and regulations, participants, and results of each of the annual exhibitions.

The open call for the 2025 Erarta Prize will be announced soon – stay tuned to our website and Erarta’s social media. This is going to be unmissable!