TAF AWARDS 2026 – SOUTH ASIA

NEW!!!!! OPEN CALL ! Having successfully run Four Editions of the TAF Awards- South Asia 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, we now announce the Fifth Edition of the TAF Artist Award 2026.

This is an Open Call to all South Asian artists and the diaspora (South Asian lineage located across the globe) to apply for the TAF Award 2026.

If you are interested in Sponsorship opportunities for the award, please email us on info@theartsfamily.com

TAF Emerging Artist Award Jury

Meet the passionate minds driving The Arts Family forward. Our family of dedicated professionals brings together a wealth of expertise in international contemporary and modern art, united by a shared commitment to promoting art from South Asia.

Amit Kumar Jain

Art and Culture Advisor, New Delhi

Beatriz Cifuentes Feliciano

Art Curator, Researcher & Author

David Bellingham

Art Historian, Author and Program Director, SIAL

Julia Hutt

Curator - Ex Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Lekha Poddar

Founder - Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi

Malini Roy

Head of Visual Arts, British Library London

Neha Jaiswal

Founder- The Arts Family

Shanti Panchal

Jury - Jackson Polock Art Prize 2022 & British Asian Artist

Stephen Snoddy

Director - The New Art Gallery, Walsall, Uk

Open Call- for TAF Emerging Artist Award South Asia 2025

The Arts Family (TAF) will announce about accepting applications for it's Fifth Edition of TAF EMERGING ARTIST AWARD- SOUTH ASIA 2026 soon. The award is open to artists from the age of 25 to 45 years and under of South Asian origin i.e. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and the diaspora. Our aim is to support talented emerging artists from these regions and assist them in building their careers by providing them with exposure and guidance in the international art market.

‍

DATES-

SUBMISSION DATE- Please submit your entries by __________GMT/London. Around 15 shortlisted candidates will be contacted in ______ ____to further verify details and the announcement will be made public in January 2026. The top 3 winners will be announced in __.__________.

‍

HOW TO APPLY-

Get your portfolios ready! Email us the following information on apply26@theartsfamily.com

1) Images of three different bodies of artworks from different series produced in the last three years.

2) A short writeup about these works/series and

3) Artist CV (clearly stating your name, dob, educational background and history of exhibition/shows).

The artists are free to choose any working media- Painting | Sculpture | Photography | Digital | New Media | Design. There is no restriction on media or sizes of artwork. The awards will go to the emerging artists showing innovation and mastery in their subject and working media. The winners will be judged by an international board of acclaimed jury and all decisions are final. Jury announced.

‍

THE AWARDS-

The following cash prizes will be awarded-

1st Prize- £1500 | 2nd Prize- £1000 | 3rd Prize- £500

YOUNG ARTIST MENTION- 1 artist between the ages of 25-28 years will be announced as a special mention and will receive £250.

A Residency for a month at the prestigious BSJW (The Borlase Smart John Wells) Trust, offering studio space for artist to work in Cornwall, England. The Porthmeor and Anchor studios are probably the oldest working artists’ studios in the country, and are best known for the internationally significant artists who have been based there. Previous artists have included Julius Olsson, Stanhope Forbes, Frances Hodgkins, Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron, Francis Bacon, Terry Frost, Roger Hilton, Peter Lanyon, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and John Wells, and more recently Rana Begum, Michael Dean, Nicholas Deshayes, Lubaina Himid, Richard Long, Katy Moran, Veronica Ryan, Daniel Sinsel and Caragh Thuring. The artist will be selected from the TAF shortlist after interviews in ____________.

Some shortlisted candidates will receive the opportunity for career mentorship delivered by one of the post-graduate students of the Master's Degree program taught by faculty of Sotheby's Institute of Art, London. We will personally match each chosen artist with a Sotheby's Art Business current student or recent graduate in collaboration with the faculty head of the MA Art Business in London. TAF will be co-ordinating the mentorship in close collaboration with Sotheby's Institute- (More details to follow)

TAF promotes the shortlisted candidates throughout the year on its website and social media platforms and other publishing channels.

FOR GALLERIES

Each year we collaborate with a gallery to showcase TAF shortlisted artists in group exhibitions. If you are a gallery interested in exhibiting TAF shortlisted candidates, do drop us a line on info@theartsfamily.com expressing interest in a potential collaboration.

‍

All entries must be sent to the following email address : apply26@theartsfamily.com

‍

NOTES FOR ARTISTS WHO APPLY-

1) The artwork images should not be more than 18 MB in total size.

2) Please make sure the submitted works for the art award have been executed in the last three years.

3) At-least 1 of the 3 submitted artworks must be available for a TAF exhibition as there is a possibility of a physical exhibition in India or London (TBC closer to time).

4) If a gallery represents the artist, please notify us in your application. All credit will be given to the gallery submitting the application on behalf of its artist. However, there is no extra weightage given in case an application comes through a gallery instead of the artist.

5) Shortlisted candidates can re-submit their most recent works to be considered for the award.

FAQs

Applying for the TAF awards? Here are some of the FAQ's to read before submitting your application.

Is there an application fee?

There is no fee to apply for the award. Entries must simply be sent to (to be provided).

Do I have to live in london to apply?

Not at all! The award is open to any artist around the world of south Asian origin.

How do I take a digital images of my artwork?

This can be done professionally or you may take photographs yourself on a smartphone and send them as jpeg attachments in your application. A high quality image is always preferred.

Is there an age limit for the third edition of TAF emerging award?

The award is open to artists aged 25 years to 45 years old and under only.

Should a watermark be added to the photos submitted?

Please remove watermarks from images that will be submitted as part of the application. If we post an image of an artwork on any of our social media channels, the artist will receive due credit.

What images can I submit for the awards?

The artist should submit any three high-resolution & recent images of works executed in the last 3 years. In case of photography, you can submit three different series or just three photos. In case more than three images are sent for other media, we will consider the first three sent images from the submitted portfolio.

What mediums are accepted?

The artists are free to choose any working media - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/Digital/New Media/Design. There is no restriction on media or sizes. All we are really looking for is a complete application. Incomplete applications without either artworks, CV or written brief will not be accepted.

Is collaborative work accepted?

Yes. A maximum of five artists may collaborate on the artwork. It is however the applicant's responsibility to divide the prize among the team if selected.

I am represented by an art gallery in asia. Am I eligible for the art award?

All artists, irrespective of their association with a gallery or not, are eligible for the award. In case you are represented by a gallery, you can ask your gallery for a recommendation or submit the works yourself. TAF will give full recognition to the gallery whose artists are shortlisted and also coordinate with them for the future exhibitions showcasing their shortlisted candidates.

I have been previously shortlisted for the award. Can I still submit my application?

Yes, feel free to submit your application even if you have been previously shortlisted.

Are performance pieces accepted?

Yes, we accept performance videos.

Should I physically possess my work when I submit my application?

The shortlisted candidates do not require to immediately ship their work unless we announce a group exhibition. At least one of the final award winning works are required to be available to TAF for promotional purposes (till after 6 months of the announcement). Going forward the Fourth Edition, we ask winners to make the works available to be acquired by TAF or be loaned to them for exhibitions. Any funds being generated from any fundraisers will be used solely for the marketing purposes of the artists and the galleries representing them.

What is the application deadline for the third edition of the TAF awards?

Last date of submission of application is ____________ London time.

How do I know if I have been shortlisted for the TAF emerging artist award?

A list of all 15 shortlisted candidates will be published on our website and on our social media accounts. Check our Instagram and Facebook.

How many rounds are there in the application process?

The award consists of 2 rounds. In round 1, we will announce 15 shortlisted candidates and in round 2 the three winners will be announced along with a Young artist mention. Here is a brief outline of some important dates:

Last date of submission of application is _______________ London time- please note the last date of submission for the Third Edition of TAF Emerging Artist Award
Mid December- 15 Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and announced in Dec
2nd week of March 2024- Top 3 Award winners will be announced & a Special Mention- Young Artist
June 2023 - 3-Month Mentorship program starts for the few selected candidates with Sotheby's Institute of Art, London Master students and Alumni (tbc)

Are prints of reproduced original artworks accepted?

No. We require all submitted images to be of original artworks.

Where can I find the official rules of the award?

In addition to reading our FAQs we encourage you to visit our website and Instagram for all the terms and conditions of applying to the TAF emerging artist award.

I have made an error in my application, how can I rectify this?

Please send an email to the same address, apply26@theartsfamily.com with the subject ‘Application error correction - your name’ .

Can I apply on behalf of another artist?

You may if you have the artist’s written consent.

How do I stay updated on the award?

To receive updates please turn the post notifications ON for our Instagram page. TAF has a very active instagram presence and we are updating our participants and community regularly on Instagram. Do follow us on Instagram.