Incentive Prize for Art Critics Grant

Incentive Prize for Art Critics Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: International Association of Art Critics – USA Section (AICA‑USA)
Amount: €250 - €1,000
Last Updated: July 25, 2025

Summary

The Incentive Prize for Art Critics, organized by the International Association of Art Critics – USA Section (AICA-USA), invites critics from various media to submit essays on the theme of re-thinking the Global South through art. With a deadline of July 27, 2025, and no entry fee, the competition offers cash prizes of €1000 for first place, €500 for second, and €250 for third. Winning essays will be recognized and published, fostering critical discourse among art critics.

Overview

International Association of Art Critics – USA Section (AICA‑USA) AICA-USA is the United States section of the Association Internationale des Critiques d'Art (hence our acronym), which was founded in 1950 in Paris to revive the critical discourse that had suffered under fascism and the Second World War and to develop international co-operation in the fields of artistic creation and cultural development. At present there are 63 member nations representing more than 5,000 art critics. Headquartered in New York, AICA-USA is one of the association's largest national sections with over 500 distinguished critics, curators, scholars, and art historians working throughout the United States. AICA's membership card is recognized for entrance to museums around the world. Members are invited to attend the annual AICA International Congress, hosted each year by a different member nation, and the AICA-USA annual meeting, held every year in May. Each year, we present the AICA-USA Distinguished Critic Lecture in partnership with The New School’s Vera List Center for Art and Politics. In 2020, the Irving Sandler Award for New Voices in Art Criticism was launched as a continuation of AICA-USA’s dedication to young critics and excellence in art writing. Incorporated in 1982 and based in New York CIty, AICA-USA is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. AICA International Open Call - Incentive Prize for Art Critics AICA-Int. Congress: Johannesburg, South Africa, October 27-October 31, 2025 Theme: Imaging / Shaping / Re-Thinking the Global South through Art Entry Deadline: Sunday July 27, 2025 - Paris Midnight (CET) Entry fee: None Cash Prizes: First Place €1000 (or dollars); Second Place €500 (or dollars); Third Place €250 (or dollars); Certificates emailed after Congress. Jury Process: Aica-Int. Awards Committee reads and ranks essays Notification: Only the three winners will be notified by email & announced at the Congress. First place winner will be invited to read essay via Zoom at the Congress. Winning essays will be posted on the AICA-Int. website. AICA-Int. reserves the right to publish entries on its website.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Critics (commentators, curators, educators) writing from anywhere, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, internetFAQ:Essayists do not have to be AICA membersEssays do not have to follow 2025 Congress themePreviously published essays, or essays sent to other contests, are eligible