The Erarta Prize is the first annual contemporary art prize judged by the viewers rather than by a 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 the Erarta Prize essentially different from other art prizes, reflecting the key principles of Erarta Museum:
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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;
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art speaks to everyone, and not just the professional community;
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sharing becomes the spirit of the present time, and contemporary art should keep up with it;
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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 Erarta Prize was justly awarded the title of Project of the Year in the Arts Category by the Delovoy Peterburg daily business newspaper. The enthusiastic feedback received from everyone involved – artists and viewers alike – keeps this project going. The past years’ Erarta Prize nominees continue to actively collaborate with the museum: some of their works were added to Erarta’s permanent collection, and many artists were invited by the Curatorial Team to have their solo exhibitions at Erarta. We are looking forward to new exciting discoveries!
During the current open call (from 16 September through 19 October 2025), artists can submit their entries for the 2026 Erarta Prize with a total prize value of 3.5 million rubles. The nominees’ exhibition will take place from 6 February through 7 June 2026. Erarta Museum encourages all artists to take an active part in the competition – this is going to be unmissable!
