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Event History
The TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE was established in Madrid in 2025 as a private, international initiative dedicated to providing contemporary painting with a platform of rigor, visibility, and professional advancement. Its first edition was a resounding success, far exceeding expectations. The competition received an impressive 1,870 submissions from 85 countries, confirming its global reach and immediate prominence on the international art scene. A prestigious jury selected nearly 200 finalists, with a Top 100 exhibiting at Madrid's historic Ateneo. The inaugural gala attracted over 350 artists, critics, and cultural figures. The event's impact was extended by a well-attended traveling exhibition in Daimiel. This outstanding debut firmly established TARTGET as a solid, professional, and rapidly expanding platform, laying the groundwork for an even more ambitious 2026 edition with greater prizes and international scope.
What Makes this event different?
TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE sets itself apart by combining international ambition, artistic rigor, and a genuine professional framework. It is not an isolated competition, but an active cultural platform featuring exhibitions, artist residencies, educational programs, and ongoing career promotion.
Copyright Policy
Artists retain all copyright and intellectual property rights to their works at all times. Participation in the **TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE** does not entail the transfer of these rights, except in the specific case of **acquisition prizes**, where the awarded artwork becomes the property of the corresponding sponsor or organization.
Image Usage Rights
By entering the competition, participants grant **TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE** the express authorization to use images of the submitted artwork for the purposes of cultural promotion, publicity, and communication. This includes use in digital and printed formats, on social media, in specialized media, and in any future promotional activities related to the prize.
Call for Entries for Painters for the 2ND edition of the TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE
Following the success of its inaugural edition, this international contemporary painting competition returns in 2026 as a well-funded and highly visible platform for artists worldwide.
TARGET PAINTING PRIZE offers over $100,000 in prizes, a top-tier international jury, and a final exhibition at Madrid’s historic Ateneo. Additional opportunities include artist residencies, collaboration with leading fine art brands, and promotion to collectors, galleries, and specialized media.
The competition is open to artists of all techniques, styles, and career stages. Submissions are welcome in figurative, contemporary, abstract, and conceptual styles, as well as traditional techniques like oil, watercolor, and drawing. The call offers multiple categories, main prizes, technical awards, art residencies, specialized training, acquisition prizes, professional fine art materials, and international promotion.
Finalist works will be selected by an international virtual jury. A curated selection will be exhibited at the Ateneo de Madrid, just steps from the Prado Museum and within the UNESCO World Heritage site "Paisaje de la Luz." This venue will host the final exhibition and the public awards gala.
Key new features for the 2026 edition include:
* Best in Show: Gold Tartget: $14,000 - Silver Tartget: $7,000 - Bronze Tartget: $4,700 - Fusion Tartget: %4,700
* Specific technical prizes of $4,700 for Watercolor and Drawing.
* 4 artist residency grants for a 12-day stay in the Tablas de Daimiel National Park.
* An intensive training stay at Atelier Madrid.
* Exclusive advantage for artists who register their work before the early-bird deadline on February 15th: 75 guaranteed finalist spots among all works received by this date.
Check the rules and prizes on our website
Entries are accepted exclusively online until May 31, 2026 at:
http://www.tartgetpaintingprize.com
TARTGET PAINTING PRIZE is more than a contest: it is an international platform designed to provide contemporary painting with real visibility, critical rigor, and professional advancement.
