Submissions open in:
International FiKVA Award 2027
For Representational & Figurative Painters
Welcome to the 5th International FiKVA Award for Painters 2027! A global online competition for representational and figurative painters aged 18 or older, from anywhere in the world. Send us the paintings you are most proud of – over €10,000 in prizes are waiting: cash awards, art supplies, gallery representation, a place in our printed catalogue and in our online exhibition. We welcome all styles of representational painting: modern and classical realism, imaginative realism, hyperrealism, photorealism, luminism, surrealism and more, as long as the work reads as representational and not stylized or abstract. If your painting captures the real world in your own voice, we want to see it! No comics, airbrush, digital or mechanical work, and nothing made or assisted by AI.
Works must be recent – painted between 2025 and 2027. Everything happens online. No shipping – and even if you win, your painting stays with you. The Top 35 works must be available for our online exhibition. The deadline for entering is 30 April 2027, at 12:00 noon (Brussels time). All results are sent by email and published on fikva.art and our social media. The SUBMISSION FORM opens here on 3 December 2026. Questions? Write to us at award@fikva.art.
Important Dates
Submissions open: 3 December 2026 Submissions close: 30 April 2027, at 12:00 noon (Brussels time) Top 100 announced: 15 June 2027 (by email and on social media) Winners and Top 35 announced: 30 June 2027 (by email, on the FiKVA website and on social media) Online exhibition opens (Top 35): 7 July 2027
ARTIST ELIGIBILITY
The FiKVA Award is open to every painter aged 18 or older, from anywhere in the world. Emerging or established, self-taught or academy-trained - we judge the painting, not the CV. We celebrate inclusion and diversity, and we’re passionate about supporting artistic growth. We invite you to submit your finest paintings and inspire us with your creativity!
ARTWORK ELIGIBILITY
Painted by hand in oil, water-soluble oil, acrylic, watercolour, ink, gouache, tempera or any other traditional wet medium, on any support: canvas, board, paper, wood, panel, wall, aluminium, glass. Work must have been completed between 2025 and 2027. The artwork must be your own original creation, painted by you alone, with the copyright fully yours. It may be signed, may have been in other competitions and may already be sold, as long as the image rights stay with you. It does not need to be for sale. The entire process is online - no need to ship your work or part with it at any stage!
Subject matter & Techniques
Any subject, any size. We have no requirements regarding subject matter or technique - submit what you feel represents your strongest work.
Images
Upload one image per artwork through the Submission form on fikva.art. Entries by email are not accepted. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP or GIF, up to 4 MB per image. Best result: a JPG of 2000 to 3000 pixels on the long side, saved at good quality. It stays well under the limit and gives the jury all the detail they need. Photograph the finished painting straight, in good light, without frame or watermark. For each work you add its title, year, technique, size and price (enter 0 if the work is not for sale), and you may add a short statement of up to 100 words. After you submit, you receive your entry number by email. You can pay by card, Bancontact or PayPal.
Jury
The International FiKVA Award 2027 will be judged by a distinguished panel of accomplished artists and cultural managers. Their collective expertise - shaped by diverse backgrounds, perspectives and artistic traditions - ensures a rigorous, nuanced and truly comprehensive evaluation: Alessandro Tomassetti (ES) Anna Wypych (PL) Arina Gordienko (UK) Christiane Vleugels (BE) Christoph Eberle (CH) Francien Krieg (NL) Megan Elizabeth Read (US) Nadine Robbins (US) Tanya Atanasova (BE) Zhang Hongbin (CN) Each juror scores every work independently, from 0 to 10. The final ranking is the average of all scores, and the jury’s decision is final.
Fees
Participation in the FiKVA Award with one work: €36 Every additional work adds €16 to your participation fee You can enter up to 5 works Tip: enter all your works in one go. A second, separate entry starts again at €36. Each work you enter has its own chance - in the Top 100, the Top 35, the gallery selection and the prizes.
Monetary Prizes
First Prize: €5,000 cash + a 12-colour set of M. Graham artist paint, in oil, acrylic, gouache or watercolour - the winner chooses + Certificate of Achievement + Published interview with FiKVA + Place in the online exhibition + Place in the printed catalogue + Permanent page on fikva.art + 6 months of representation in the FiKVA Online Gallery for one selected work + Digital and social media promotion, worth €500 Second Prize: €2,000 cash + Certificate of Achievement + Published interview with FiKVA + Place in the online exhibition + Place in the printed catalogue + Permanent page on fikva.art + 6 months of representation in the FiKVA Online Gallery for one selected work + Digital and social media promotion, worth €500 Third Prize: €1,000 cash + Certificate of Achievement + Published interview with FiKVA + Place in the online exhibition + Place in the printed catalogue + Permanent page on fikva.art + 6 months of representation in the FiKVA Online Gallery for one selected work + Digital and social media promotion, worth €500 Purchase Prize: FiKVA buys one selected artwork for the FiKVA Collection, at the price you gave when entering (works marked 0, not for sale, are not considered) + Certificate of Achievement + Permanent page on fikva.art + Place in the printed catalogue + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300
Special Prizes
Artel Prize: €1,200 to spend on canvases, linen and stretcher bars from Artel, our sponsor + Certificate of Achievement + Place in the printed catalogue + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300 Michael Harding Oil Painting Award: A €300 voucher for Michael Harding oil colours, for an oil painting chosen by the Michael Harding team + Certificate of Achievement + Place in the printed catalogue + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300 Michael Harding Watercolour Award: A €300 voucher for Michael Harding watercolours, for a watercolour painting chosen by the Michael Harding team + Certificate of Achievement + Place in the printed catalogue + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300 Honorable Mention (3 will be awarded): Certificate of Achievement + Place in the online exhibition + Place in the printed catalogue + Permanent page on fikva.art + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300 Top 35: Place in the online exhibition + Place in the printed catalogue + Permanent page on fikva.art + Digital and social media promotion, worth €300 Top 100: All Top 100 artists are published in the printed FiKVA Award 2027 catalogue - the winners included. Gallery Representation Prize: Up to 10 outstanding works from the Top 100 are invited for 6 months of representation in the FiKVA Online Gallery. By invitation only, with no obligation for the artist.
Disclaimer
PRIVACY TERMS
By participating in and submitting to the FiKVA Award, the artist acknowledges their unconditional acceptance of the rules, disclaimer and privacy terms.
PRE-SELECTION
Once the jury has evaluated the works, you will receive an email with the results. The FiKVA organization is responsible for sending the emails, but not for their reception. We are also not responsible for “broken communication” due to email addresses that are misspelled by the artist.
JUROR DECISION
The jury evaluates the originality of subject matter and technical skill. Their selection of winning works is final and the decision cannot be appealed on any grounds. Jury members cannot enter the competition in the year they serve on the jury, and they must skip one more edition before they may enter again. Their family members and members of the FiKVA organization cannot enter either.
DISQUALIFICATION
The FiKVA organization reserves the right to disqualify any work that does not comply with the competition rules or violates our ethical and moral standards. AI-generated or AI-assisted “paintings” are not accepted and will result in immediate disqualification. We may ask for work-in-progress photos.
IMAGE USE
By submitting to the FiKVA Award you agree to grant the FiKVA Foundation the right to use your (complete or cropped) images for digital and printed advertisement. FiKVA does not claim any intellectual rights on works entered in the competition. You will be credited, on our website, newsletter and social media. Any questions, concerns or requests to remove an image in relation to use of artwork can be directed to info@fikva.art
ENTRY FEE
The entry fee is non-refundable donation and does not include any taxes that may be applied by your country of residence or by Belgian authorities. Cancellations or refund requests will not be accepted after the contest deadline.
PRIZES IN CASH
All cash prizes are stated and paid in euros and may be subject to legally required tax deductions (including VAT where applicable and income tax at the source). Any bank fees or currency conversion costs are not FiKVA’s responsibility. FiKVA will issue all payments, but it cannot be held liable for delays or failed transfers caused by incorrect banking details provided by the artist or by intermediary banks. FiKVA may request identity or bank verification to ensure the secure processing of payments.
ONE PRIZE PER ARTWORK
Each artwork can win one prize only: a First, Second or Third Prize, the Purchase Prize, a sponsor prize or an Honorable Mention.
PURCHASE PRIZE
The FiKVA Foundation reserves the right not to purchase an artwork. The Purchase Prize will be awarded only if a suitable piece is identified and selected by the Foundation. Works entered with a price of 0 (not for sale) are not considered for the Purchase Prize.
SALES AFTER PROMOTION
FiKVA does not claim any financial compensation if a work submitted to the FiKVA Award is sold after being promoted by FiKVA. If awarded, the Purchase Prize will correspond to the artwork’s sale price as provided by the artist at the time of submission.
SALES THROUGH THE ONLINE GALLERY
If a work is selected for the FiKVA online gallery and a contract is signed with the artist, the gallery will retain 45% of the sale price as commission and the artist will receive 55%.
