guidelines for the artists

2026 Erarta Prize nominees

The longlist is the result of the museum’s review of the entire pool of entries submitted by artists representing all genres and forms of contemporary art, including painting, graphic arts, sculpture, photography, installation, video and multimedia art.

The works by the following 40 artists will be displayed at the special exhibition staged by Erarta to determine the winners through a public vote:

The 3.5 million rubles worth of prize money will be distributed among the 40 nominees. At the close of the first voting round, scheduled to last from 6 February through 20 April, 15 artists ranked from 40th to 26th will receive a guaranteed reward of 50,000 rubles each. 15 more artists ranked from 25th to 11th will be awarded 75,000 rubles each. The top 10 artists securing the majority of votes in the first voting round will qualify for the second.

In the second voting round, from 21 April through 3 June, the 10 shortlisted artworks compete for the following money prizes: the artists ultimately ranking from 10th to 6th are guaranteed to win 100,000 rubles each; the top five artists will receive 125,000 rubles for the 5th place, 150,000 rubles for the 4th, 175,000 rubles for the 3rd, 200,000 rubles for the 2nd, and the Grand Prix of 500,000 rubles for the 1st place respectively.

Good luck to all the participants!

Early submission of entries ensures that any technical or organisational issues related to the staging of the nominees’ exhibition are handled by the artist together with Erarta Museum’s Curatorial Team in the most efficient way possible.

Only one artwork per artist will be featured in the exhibition. To improve the chances of being selected, every artist could submit up to three artworks. All artists that had been nominated for the previous editions of the Erarta Prize could also submit their entries for the 2026 Erarta Prize without including previously submitted artworks.

For the 2026 edition of the Prize, all nominated artists will 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 purchase their favourite artwork, lending additional support to its creator. All nominated exhibits that are sold prior to the awarding of the Prize 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. Please inquire with the Erarta Prize Curatorial Team for more information.

The call for entries for the 2026 Erarta Prize has closed on 19 October 2025.