Italian
Announcement of the Call for the tenth edition of the Mestre Painting Prize: artists from around the world come together to enhance contemporary painting and enrich the cultural heritage of Venice
MESTRE (VE) – The Mestre Painting Award, now in its tenth edition in 2026, confirms itself as one of the most prestigious events for contemporary painting in Italy. Promoted by the Associazione Il Circolo Veneto, in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, and the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, the competition enjoys the patronage of the Region of Veneto, the Metropolitan City of Venice, and the Municipality of Venice.
Born in 1958 from the visionary idea of the artist Andreina Crepet Guazzo, the Mestre Painting Prize has had ten annual editions that have involved some of the most famous names in the Venetian painting scene and beyond. After a break in 1968, the competition was resumed in 2017 thanks to the initiative of the Circolo Veneto, with the aim of enhancing contemporary painting and promoting culture in the Venetian mainland.
The tenth edition of the Mestre Painting Prize stands out for its advanced timeline, aiming to hold the final phase in the spring of 2026. The competition is open to all artists, without age or nationality limits, and involves the selection of 60 works that will be exhibited in the Finalists’ Group Exhibition at the Cultural Center Candiani in Mestre. The finalist works will be published in the printed catalog of the exhibition, published by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, and on the dedicated page of the prize’s official website.
The awards of the Mestre Painting Prize 2026: opportunities for artists
The prizes include the First Prize of €5,000, with the work becoming part of the Collection of the Civic Museums of Venice (Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art), the Second Prize of €3,000, and the Third Prize of €2,000. There are also special prizes, such as the Artist Residency offered by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, the Special Purchase Prize of €1,500 awarded by CGIA di Mestre, and the Special Purchase Prize of €1,500 promoted by Federfarma Venezia for ULSS3 Serenissima.
The Popular Jury, made up of personalities from the cultural and civil society, will award a sculptural trophy selected from the sketches proposed by the students of the sculpture course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Furthermore, the finalist artists will be able to obtain a personal page on the website https://amici.premiomestredipittura.eu, with information about their work and artistic journey.
Sign up for the Mestre Painting Prize 2026: how to submit your work and participate in the competition
Registrations are open exclusively online until November 30, 2025. To participate, artists must fill out the registration form available on the official prize website and submit an image of the submitted work, accompanied by the required information. The registration fee is set at €45, with exemptions for artists aged 35 or younger, who are regularly enrolled in study programs at Art Academies in the national territory.
The Mestre Painting Prize represents an important opportunity for artists to emerge in the contemporary art scene and for the public to appreciate the quality and variety of today’s painting. With its tenth edition, the competition reaffirms its role as a reference point in promoting culture and art in the region.
For more information and to participate in the competition, you can visit the official website of the Premio Mestre di Pittura.
