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Malamegi Lab Art Prize opens the door to a broad spectrum of visual practices, photography included, and is open to professional and amateur visual artists worldwide. The current edition, presented as LAB ART PRIZE – VENICE’27, closes on November 12, 2026, with an online application form and a tiered fee system based on the number of artworks submitted.
Twelve artists will be selected for the final exhibition in Venice, Italy, and among them four will receive major distinctions ranging from an acquisition award worth up to €2,000 and a €1,000 cash prize to the publication of a monographic art book and a collaboration for a new Malamegi Collection. For photographers browsing online photo contests, this international call combines exhibition, publication and acquisition opportunities across both traditional and digital media.
Photography sits alongside painting, sculpture, mixed media, digital art, graphics, net art and video within an open format welcoming visual works that can be reproduced through an image. The Malamegi Lab Art Prize presents €5,000 in prizes and awards, while the final exhibition brings the 12 selected artists together in Venice. The open format also makes the call relevant to photographers exploring open theme photo contests that extend into the wider contemporary art field.
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Prizes
The Malamegi Lab Art Prize selects 12 artists for the final exhibition. The competition presents €5,000 in prizes and awards, with four distinctions assigned among the finalists:
- New Malamegi Collection – Collaboration Award: One finalist is selected to develop a new collection of works that will be promoted and presented to buyers within Malamegi’s commercial network.
- Artwork Acquisition Award: Malamegi Lab acquires one of the 12 finalist works for its private collection, with a maximum purchase value of €2,000. Works that are not for sale or are priced above that amount are excluded from this award but remain eligible for the other prizes.
- Cash Prize: €1,000 is awarded to one of the 12 selected artists after the collective exhibition. The winning artwork remains the property of the artist. This adds a monetary award for photographers interested in photography contests with cash prizes.
- Monographic Book Prize: One finalist receives a monographic art book produced, printed and distributed at Malamegi Lab’s expense.
- Final Exhibition: All 12 finalists participate in the collective exhibition in Venice, Italy, accompanied by a general catalog. This provides a physical presentation opportunity alongside other exhibition photography competitions.
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Categories or Themes
The Malamegi Lab Art Prize is open to professional and amateur artists, graphic designers, painters, photographers and creatives from around the world. The theme is open, allowing artists to interpret the competition through their own visual language.
Admitted media include Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Mixed Media, Digital Art, Video, Graphics, Net Art and other visual works that can be reproduced through an image. This allows photographic work to draw from documentary, portrait or street photography, as well as more experimental or cross-disciplinary approaches.
Dates and Entry Fees
The current edition closes in November, with the 12 finalists announced in early December. The date of the Venice exhibition has not yet been specified yet.
| Key Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 12, 2026 | Application deadline |
| December 2, 2026 | 12 finalists announced |
| After the final exhibition | Award winners selected |
Entry fees depend on the number of artworks submitted:
| Number of Artworks | Entry Fee |
|---|---|
| 1 artwork | €50 |
| 2 artworks | €75 |
| 3 artworks | €105 |
| 4 artworks | €125 |
| 5 artworks | €135 |
| 6 artworks | €150 |
Payments are accepted by credit or debit card, PayPal or bank transfer.
How to Enter
Applicants must complete the Malamegi Lab Art Prize online registration form and submit their artworks with the required images and descriptions. Up to six works can be entered. Photographers accustomed to international photography contests can complete the entire initial application online.
Each submitted work must be represented by an image and description. Works composed of several elements should be shown together within a single submitted image. The maximum permitted size of an artwork is 3 × 3 meters.
About the Jury
The 12 finalists and the four award recipients are selected by Malamegi Lab staff together with the artistic and commercial departments of the Malamegi company.
For the €1,000 cash award, Malamegi states that the decision is based on the quality and originality of the work presented in the exhibition. Photographers considering other fine art photography awards should therefore note that this competition is selected within a broader contemporary art context rather than by a photography-only jury.
Why Enter Malamegi Lab Art Prize?
The Malamegi Lab Art Prize brings photography into a wider contemporary art competition, with 12 finalists receiving a physical group exhibition in Venice and four separate awards addressing acquisition, financial support, publication and longer-term collaboration. The different outcomes make the call relevant to photographers whose work fits naturally within gallery and contemporary art contexts.
The acquisition award can place a finalist’s work in the Malamegi Lab private collection, while the monographic book and New Malamegi Collection provide different forms of continued presentation beyond the final exhibition. Photographers comparing the best photography competitions to enter listed on Deartline can therefore consider this call specifically for its combination of photography with a multidisciplinary art prize.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Malamegi Lab Art Prize to summarize the key participation requirements, copyright terms and image usage conditions. Before entering, we recommend checking the complete rules published by the organizer.
Rules
The competition is open worldwide to professional and amateur artists. Photography is accepted alongside painting, sculpture, mixed media, digital art, video, graphics, net art and other visual works that can be represented through an image.
Twelve artists are selected for the final exhibition in Venice. Shipping, collection and any insurance required for the duration of the exhibition are the responsibility of the selected artists. Malamegi Lab and MOHO – art services state that they are not responsible for damage, theft or loss of the works.
Selected artworks must be sent to Malamegi Lab according to instructions provided after the selection process. Works that are not collected by the artist within six months after the end of the exhibition can no longer be withdrawn or claimed.
Copyright and Image Usage
The current rules do not explicitly state whether copyright ownership remains with the artist or establish a detailed image license. They state that personal data and uploaded images may be used for purposes related to the competition and that participating artists remain responsible for the content and descriptions of the images they submit.
No duration for this image use is published, and the rules do not specify sublicensing or third-party usage rights. For that reason, the scope of the image license is not fully defined in the published terms.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
