All competitions · Prize / award
Contemporary British Painting Prize 2026
Contemporary British Painting · Sheffield, United Kingdom
Biennial painting prize for artists aged 18+ living and professionally based in the UK. Entrants submit five paintings; £25 fee; £8,000 first prize plus exhibitions in Sheffield and London.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- United Kingdom (by country of residence)
- Age
- 18 and over
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Painting
- Work made
- Within the last 3 years
- Entries
- Up to 5 works per artist
- Size limits
- Maximum 2.2m along longest edge; 3D works must pass through a standard single doorway
- Submission
- Online submission
- Also
- Artists 18+ living and professionally based in the UK (not Republic of Ireland); CBP members and selectors' relatives excluded; must submit five different finished paintings completed since 1 June 2023.
About
The Contemporary British Painting Prize, run by the artist-led group Contemporary British Painting, is open to artists aged 18 or over of any nationality who live and are professionally based in the UK (Republic of Ireland residents, CBP members and relatives of selectors are ineligible). Applicants submit images of five finished paintings completed since 1 June 2023, in oil, acrylic, tempera, watercolour, emulsion or enamel; video and digital-only works are excluded and the maximum dimension is 2.2m.
For 2026, entries opened 11 May and closed 8 June 2026 via CuratorSpace with a £25 non-refundable fee. The longlist was announced 10 July and shortlist 31 July. Shortlisted artists exhibit at Yorkshire Artspace, Sheffield (19 September to 17 October 2026) and Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London (5 to 15 November 2026), each receiving a £400 exhibitor's fee. The winner receives £8,000, a catalogue essay, CBP membership and a selector's role for the 2028 prize; there is a £2,000 Highly Commended award, the Judith Tucker Memorial Prize (£3,000 and £1,500, for women artists) and a YAS solo exhibition award.