Absa 2026 L’Atelier art competition for young visual artists across Africa. – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline:  31 May 2026, at 16:00 (Central African Time).

Applications are actually open for the 2026 Absa L’Atelier art competition. The Absa L’Atelier competition, by way of its prizes, focuses on how greatest to help the artist in rising their model and in equipping artists with the related abilities wanted to construct their careers. The Absa L’Atelier additionally offers artists Opportunities to construct their community and collaborate of their art apply, whereas offering them with an distinctive platform that might greatest place them throughout the visual arts business.

Competition format

• There are 12 international locations that qualify to take part within the Absa L’Atelier (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).
• After the entry deadline, the 12 international locations are randomly divided into three teams of 4 international locations every.
• Artists in every group compete towards each other.
• There’s no competition among the many three teams – artists compete inside their very own group solely.
• Artists are required to submit one entry, which consists of a portfolio of labor of a minimal of 4 and a most of 5 artworks. Submission of fewer than 4 artworks will end result within the artist’s fast disqualification.
• Each group of 4 international locations have a unique group of adjudicators.
• A single winner will likely be chosen from every of the three teams of 4 international locations (i.e. one winner from Group A, one winner from Group B and one winner from Group C).
• Absa has the suitable to exhibit artworks from every of the winners after they’re introduced.
• The winner of every group is known as an Absa L’Atelier Ambassador.

Eligibility Requirements

• The competition is open to all artists who are usually not youthful than 21 and never older than 40 on 31 March 2026. In the case of art college students, solely final-year college students who meet the age necessities could take part.
• All prize winners will likely be required to take up the prize as per the date talked about within the entry particulars.
• Only artists who’re residents or have been granted everlasting residency and are completely residing in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Botswana, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Nigeria or Namibia could enter the competition.
• All airfares to an artist’s exhibition opening and/or residency varieties part of their prize and is just from and again to their resident nation. If they should journey from some other location, they’d be accountable for paying the difference in what it will have value to fly them from their home nation.
• If data shouldn’t be captured precisely on the system and any data is lacking from the web registration, the entrant will mechanically be disqualified.

Prizes

There are 4 prizes for the competition:

• The essential prize for the winner of every group; and
• The Gerard Sekoto Award for a South African entrant who continues to display development of their art manufacturing.

Main prize

The winners will take up their prizes concurrently. The winner (Ambassador) from every of the three teams will obtain the next:

1. A brand new laptop computer or equal with Windows and an MS Office bundle put in.
2. A complete of 11 two-hour masterclasses, both just about or in-person, from main international authorities over a three-month interval from May to July 2027. The matters coated by way of the masterclasses embody:
   1. Mental wellness: Understanding psychological well being and easy methods to cope with it;
   2. Financial wellness: Budgeting and managing your funds;
   3. Legal wellbeing: The significance of contracts, wills and trusts;
   4. The art of negotiation and battle decision;
   5. Studio apply;
   6. Media coaching and presence, and social media viewers growth and public relations;
   7. Building and managing an art portfolio;
   8. Fundraising and proposal writing;
   9. Art professionalism: Developing your profession and constructing your model as an artist;
   10. Artist residencies and the way they will profit your profession; and
   11. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
3. A four-month mentorship with a number one authority within the visual arts from their respective nation. The mentorship programme will happen from June to September 2027.
4. The 12 months after being awarded the prize, a concurrent two-month worldwide residency with the Kromdraai Impact Hub in South Africa in 2027. The residency programme runs from 11 May to 11 July 2027.While in residency, the three Ambassadors:
   • Will be launched to South Africa’s art and cultural scene;
   • Have the choice to supply an paintings that will likely be transformed into an NFT; and
   • Produce a restricted physique of artworks for a pop-up exhibition on the final weekend of their residency.
5. The choice to host a solo exhibition inside two years of profitable the award (i.e. those that win in 2026, must exhibit by 2028). The exhibition will happen within the artist’s home nation, on the Absa Gallery or at an alternate venue as selected by Absa and its companions. The Ambassador attends the exhibition opening and is awarded as much as R100 000 for materials prices in direction of the exhibition. All artworks have to be accessible for sale with the vast majority of the proceeds going to the artist.

   The masterclasses, mentoring and residency are to happen in 2027, as per the dates indicated above.

Gerard Sekoto Award

The Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award is open to any South African artist aged between 25 and 35 years. This award is made doable by IFAS and the French Embassy in South Africa, in partnership with Absa and SANAVA. To qualify, an entrant have to be a everlasting South African citizen and be completely residing in South Africa.

The award contains:

1. A 3-month residency, from April to June in 2027, on the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France, together with return airfare from South Africa to Paris, a every day stipend whereas in Paris and return transport between the artist’s place of residence in South Africa and the airport.
2. A solo exhibition with a companion gallery in Johannesburg in 2028. Absa will cowl the fabric and framing prices for this exhibition as much as a most worth of R100 000.
3. Three digital masterclasses, protecting:
   1. Mental wellness: Understanding psychological well being and easy methods to cope with it;
   2. Financial wellness: Budgeting and managing your funds; and
   3. Legal wellbeing: The significance of contracts, wills and trusts.

Entry Conditions

Entries

• All entry particulars of the artist and paintings have to be submitted on the Absa L’Atelier on-line competition portal.
• All fields have to be accomplished when submitting an entry.
• Any area left clean will end in computerized disqualification of the entry.
• Adjudication for every submitted entry is completed by way of the web portal.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Absa L’Atelier art competition