Liberty Art Award 2026–2028
Liberty Specialty Markets
📌About the Event
The Liberty Art Award 2026–2028, also known as the Liberty Specialty Markets Art Award, is a fully funded professional-development and exhibition programme for emerging UK artists. It helps recent art graduates move from art education into professional practice through financial support, mentoring, industry training, sales opportunities and a two-year exhibition at Liberty Specialty Markets’ London office.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Nature of opportunity: Art award, exhibition and professional-development programme
- Application mode: Online submission through the ArtOpps portal
- Programme mode: Primarily offline
- Programme duration: Two years, from September 2026 to August 2028
- Exhibition venue: Liberty Specialty Markets’ office in the Walkie Talkie building, Fenchurch Street, London
- Accepted art forms: Painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textiles, moving image, film, digital or new media, mixed media and other visual-art practices
📅 Important Dates
- Application deadline: July 29, 2026, at 5:00 PM UK time
- Selection results: Expected between August 14 and August 17, 2026
- Collection of selected artworks: Expected between August 27 and August 30, 2026; exact timings will be confirmed with selected artists
- Programme and exhibition start: September 2026
- Exhibition period: September 2026 to August 2028
- Final award ceremony: Spring 2028
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibility:
- Applicants must be artists who graduated in either 2025 or 2026.
- Applicants may work in any accepted visual-art medium, including painting, sculpture, photography, print, textiles and moving image.
- Submitted artworks must be the artist’s original and unaided work.
- The selected work must remain available for the full two-year exhibition period.
- Three-dimensional work must be stable, safe and suitable for long-term display.
- There are no strict size or weight limits, provided the work remains reasonable and practical for the exhibition space.
- Since the work will be displayed in a professional corporate office, applicants should consider whether its content is appropriate for that setting.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- £1,000 participation fee: Awarded to every selected artist for exhibiting their work.
- Travel support: Selected artists receive a contribution towards eligible travel expenses.
- Two-year London exhibition: Selected artwork will be displayed at Liberty Specialty Markets’ London office.
- Artwork sales opportunity: Artists can gain exposure to corporate visitors and potential buyers and may have the opportunity to sell their exhibited work.
- Professional mentoring: The programme includes one-to-one guidance and career-development support.
- Industry training: Artists participate in seminars covering areas such as studio management, pricing artwork, insurance, grant applications, exhibition planning and professional proposals.