Painting announces the finalists for year 2026

The competition, which over the course of two decades has become one of Slovakia’s most prominent initiatives in support of contemporary visual art, continues with its 21st edition. A jury comprising renowned experts from Slovakia and abroad has selected a shortlist of 20 young painters. They will compete this autumn for the title of Painting 2026 award winners. The VÚB Foundation will support the three winners with a total of 30,000 euros.

The aim of the Painting – VÚB Foundation Prize for Painting for Young Artists competition is to support the most outstanding talents from the emerging generations of Slovak visual artists and thereby raise awareness of contemporary painting among both the specialist and general public. For the twenty-first time, an international panel of experts has selected twenty finalists from among more than 100 entrants.

The following artists are in the running for this prestigious award in this year’s competition (in alphabetical order): Adam Baník, Maroš Bavoľár, Denis Braun, Dávid Čerťanský, Mgr.Art Alexandra Hrehová, Monika Hurajová, Ľubomíra Chylová Sekerášová, David Javorský, Samuel Kollárik, Anna Kyjovská, Nancy Lacová, Ľubomír Mati, Jakub Ružinský, Denisa Slavkovská, Michal Šumichrast, Michaela Šuranská, Šimon Tóth, Eva Vaňová, Laura Zvěřina, Lucia Žitnayová.

Assessment by the jury of international experts

Each year, the submitted artworks are assessed by a specialist jury, which always convenes in a unique composition. Leading figures from the domestic and international art scenes ensure that the competition provides a platform for the objectively best candidates from among the submitted artists. For the 21st edition of the competition, the jury – comprising David Maljković, one of the most significant and respected contemporary Croatian artists and chairman of the jury; Michał Borowik, a Polish collector of contemporary art, curator and author; Barbora Kundračíková, a Czech educator and art historian; and art theorist Denisa Tomková, a Slovak based at the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague.

Prizes for the winners, an artistic experience for everyone

In the second round, the expert jury will assess the submitted originals of the final works and select the three winners. Along with valuable references to support the development of their future artistic careers, the winners will also receive cash prizes of 5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 euros.

The winners of the Painting of the Year 2026 competition will receive their awards on 8 October this year during the opening of the exhibition of the finalists’ works at the Nedbalka Gallery in Bratislava. Thanks to the support of the VÚB Foundation and VÚB, which is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, the exhibition of works by the finalists of the 21st edition of the competition will be open to the general public free of charge.

“We are delighted to be embarking on the next decade of the Painting competition, which is one of the VÚB Foundation’s successful and well-established projects. Through it, we have long been helping young artists gain experience and valuable references that improve the conditions for building their prestigious artistic careers. The fact that more than 100 people have entered this year’s competition confirms that there is a wealth of artistic talent in Slovakia seeking support,” says Lucia Luptáková, manager of the VÚB Foundation. Over the course of twenty editions of the Painting competition, the VÚB Foundation has recognised more than 50 artists, who have received prizes totalling 430,000 euros.

The finalists’ works and further information about the Painting 2026 competition are available at malba.nadaciavub.sk