AXA Art Prize

The AXA Art Prize shines a spotlight on the re-emergence of figurative art and the undiscovered stars of its future.

The reason why the AXA Art Prize exists
As one of the largest global insurers, AXA’s purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters. Protection has always been at the core of our business, helping individuals, businesses and societies to thrive. Fostering progress and success in all dimensions is part of our DNA. The AXA Art Prize is a way for us to support emerging artistic talent and to give it the platform it deserves.

Established credibility
The competition is built on the legacy of a related prize which ran in the UK for a decade. Now in its fourth year in the United States, the AXA Art Prize has established an excellent reputation as an insightful overview of the best new talent nationwide. We’re thrilled to watch our previous winners achieve further successes at such an early stage: 2018 winner Monica Ikegwu has been signed to a Los Angeles based gallery and Anna Park our 2019 winner has recently held a solo exhibition in Rome.

Unrivalled Exposure
Every effort has been made to provide participants with the highest level of exposure and the perfect opportunity in which to showcase their work. Our top forty finalists are selected by an Exhibition Jury comprising of curators from top museums and galleries Previous jurors included curators from Crystal Bridges, the Brooklyn Museum, Gagosian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum, the Noguchi Museum, and the Whitney Museum. Finalists will have their work exhibited internationally on our virtual gallery and will be featured in our live exhibition in New York. The First and Second Prize winners are determined by a panel of prominent artists. In the past this has included major artists such as Sanford Biggers, Julia Chiang, Will Cotton, John Currin, Nicole Eisenman, Eric Fischl, Erik Parker, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, Laurie Simmons, and Salman Toor.

The AXA Art Prize has a First Prize of $10,000, and is open to figurative paintings, drawings and prints created by undergraduate and graduate art students. With exhibitions in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, and a jury including major artists and curators, the AXA Art Prize is one of the premier student art competitions in the nation.

Requirements

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, either as an undergraduate or graduate student majoring in studio art at a U.S. school. Previous XL Catlin and AXA Art Prize exhibition participants are eligible to participate in the 2021 AXA Art Prize competition; however, they must use a different piece from the one previously exhibited. Previous prize winners are not eligible to submit.