ARCOmadrid 2026 Awards
ARCOmadrid maintains its commitment to collecting, the promotion of artists and the desire to foster contacts that will boost purchases at the Fair. On the occasion of ARCO, national and international private companies join in the initiatives to promote acquisitions and the recognition of artistic creation through the awarding of different prizes. Some are aimed at the production of works that can later be seen at the Fair; others reward some of the works exhibited by the galleries at ARCOmadrid. All of them recognise and promote artistic creation, sometimes linked to aspects related to the brands that promote them.
In 1992, ENATE began a contemporary art collection featuring works by national and international artists. Since then, each wine of the brand has been associated with a renowned artist, whose artwork—created specifically for the winery—appears on the label. For this reason, ENATE’s commitment to contemporary art led this well-known Somontano winery to join ARCOmadrid 2026.
Thus, ENATE presented its acquisition award, valued at €10,000, to the artist Luis Gordillo (Prats Nogueras Blanchard gallery), in recognition of his artistic career.
In its twelfth edition, the Opening Award. New Galleries was granted by ARCO, once again recognizing the best stand in this section at ARCOmadrid 2026.
The award was presented to Selebe Yoon Gallery, with projects by artists Alioune Diouf and Fatim Soumaré. The prize was decided by an expert jury made up of Michelle Cotton, Director of Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Laura Hakel, Curator of the Collection and Artistic Projects at Fundación Ama Amoedo; Rebecca Lamarche Vadel, writer and curator; Ibrahim Nehme, Director of the Beirut Art Center; and Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz, Director of Centro Botín.
In its strong commitment to art and contemporary creation, Lexus strengthens its connection with ARCOmadrid 2026 as the official vehicle and mobility solutions provider of the fair. For the sixth consecutive year, the brand has promoted the Lexus Award for the Best Stand, a distinction that celebrates curatorial excellence, innovation, and the dialogue between art, space, and experience.
A professional jury was responsible for selecting the best participating stand at the 45th edition of ARCOmadrid, awarding the prize to Proyectos Ultravioleta.
For the tenth consecutive year, Cervezas Alhambra has invited emerging artists from the national scene to take part in its well-established Emerging Art Award, presented at ARCOmadrid. This initiative recognizes the talent of artists who find craftsmanship and time to be their main sources of inspiration.
This year, the project entitled Conveyors, by Mónica Mays, winner of the IX Emerging Art Award, was exhibited at ARCOmadrid 2026 at the brand’s stand. The work was produced over the course of six months, during which Cervezas Alhambra accompanied the artist throughout the creative process.
The philosophy guiding this edition, “Without Hurry”, encourages artists to explore every detail and to care for each step of the creative process. It is a concept that values technique and reflection, giving meaning to every choice made in the artwork.
Participants presented projects combining craftsmanship and contemporary art, reinterpreting traditional techniques such as embroidery, ceramics, glasswork, or wood carving, and offering them a fresh, contemporary perspective. An international jury evaluated both the artists’ careers and previous projects, as well as the innovation and craftsmanship of their proposals, ultimately selecting the winner: the artist Esther Gatón.
The II Young Talent Award in Opening. New Galleries is granted to two artists under the age of 40 who present their work in this section. Each artist receives a prize of €10,000, with the support of Fundación Banco Sabadell.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the jury—composed of Michelle Cotton, Director of Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Laura Hakel, Curator of the Collection and Artistic Projects at Fundación Ama Amoedo; Rebecca Lamarche Vadel, writer and curator; Ibrahim Nehme, Director of the Beirut Art Center; and Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz, Director of Centro Botín—selected the two winning artists: Juliana Padilla (Linse Gallery) and Venuca Evanán (Enhorabuena Espacio Gallery).
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the first edition of the PERFILES Award | Latin American Art for Best Stand in the Section was held, a distinction that highlights curatorial and exhibition excellence within the section.
The award was granted by a jury of renowned contemporary art experts and was supported and sponsored by Engel & Völkers, whose commitment to culture and contemporary creation reinforced this initiative aimed at highlighting proposals from the Latin American art scene within ARCOmadrid. The jury was composed of Agustín Pérez Rubio, art historian, professor, and curator, and Andrea Torreblanca, Director of the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City.
The galleries awarded in this edition were Commonwealth and Council and Patron.
Between 2017 and 2022, ART Situacions presented the Annual ART Situacions Award at ARCOmadrid, recognizing the best emerging artwork at the fair. The award recipients during those editions were: Antonio Ballester Moreno (2017), Carlos Irijalba (2018), Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González (2019), Asunción Molinos Gordo (2020), and Irma Álvarez-Laviada (2022).
In 2025, the award was reinstated and consolidated under the name Pilar Forcada ART Situacions Award, in memory of the founder and director of ART Situacions, the driving force behind the project. The prize awarded €15,000 to the artist Lara Fluxà (Bombon Projects gallery).
This edition marked the return of the Pilar Forcada ART Situacions Award to ARCOmadrid 2026. This year, a jury composed of experts Mrs. Lorena M. de Corral and Mr. Ferran Barenblit selected the artwork D.A.N.C.E (Dynamic Algorithm, Neutral Creative Evolution) 3 by Cristina Lucas (Albarrán Bourdais gallery).
As part of its founding mission to promote Catalan contemporary art, the Fundació Vila Casas has expanded its presence across the territory and, for the first time, took part in one of the most visible cultural showcases in Spain: ARCOmadrid.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the Antoni Vila Casas Award was once again presented. In line with its core principles, the award was granted to the winning artist Lola Lasurt (Prats Nogueras Blanchard Gallery).
The Fundació Vila Casas, founded in 1986 by pharmaceutical entrepreneur and collector Antoni Vila Casas, is a private, non-profit institution committed to the promotion and projection of Catalan contemporary art, as well as to fostering public awareness in the field of health. Through its four exhibition spaces, located in Barcelona, Torroella de Montgrí, and Palafrugell, the Foundation works to give visibility to artists from the region through both its permanent collection and the organization of temporary exhibitions. In addition, through its outreach program Punts de Fuga, the Foundation promotes the talent of artists from its collection by organizing exhibitions at leading national and international venues.
At ARCOmadrid 2027, the Juana de Aizpuru Award returned with its third edition. In order to recognize the long-standing relationship with ARCO over the years and the commitment to the fair, ARCO awarded the II Juana de Aizpuru Award to one of the galleries participating in the fair.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the award was presented to Galería Elvira González, in recognition of its historical trajectory and commitment to the fair.
The .NEWART{ foundation;}, together with the ARCOmadrid 2026 International Art Fair, announced the XXI NEWARTaward@ARCO in collaboration with the Arts Connection Foundation.
The NEWARTaward@ARCO marks a new era for the historic ARCO/BEEP Award for Electronic Art, which celebrated its twenty-first edition this year and recognized a work that makes significant use of new digital technologies or electronic art.
Launched two decades ago, this award fostered the creation of the .NEWART{ collection;} (formerly the BEEP collection), which brings together more than 150 works of Technological and Digital Art spanning a 60-year period. This initiative later crystallized into the .NEWART{ foundation;} and, more recently, the .NEWART{ centre;}, now a European benchmark in the production, exhibition, and conservation of Technological and Digital Art.
The prize carries an endowment of €30,000, which may be increased at the discretion of the jury, composed of specialists of recognized prestige.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, two works were awarded: Avi Loeb by Julia Scher (Esther Schipper Gallery) and Movimiento by Jonas Englert (Anita Beckers Gallery), the latter as a tribute to the contribution to technological and digital art by gallerist Anita Beckers, who passed away in 2025.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, designer Catalina D’Anglade presented the IX Catalina d’Anglade Art Award to Dalila Gonçalves (Mais Silva Gallery).
In previous editions, this award has been granted to Álvaro Urbano (1983) for his work VEINS (Travesía Cuatro Gallery), Susana Solano (2024), Ester Partegàs (2023), June Crespo (2022), Daniel Steegmann Mangrané (2020), Luis Gordillo (2019), Secundino Hernández (2018), and Fernanda Fragateiro (2017).
Catapulta, a launch platform for Spanish contemporary art, and ARCOmadrid held the first edition of the Catapulta Acquisition Award, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada. The award aims to promote the acquisition of works by Spanish artists for inclusion in internationally prestigious museum collections, through a co-financing model. The selection of the artwork was carried out by Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Canada, a leading institution founded in 1880 with a strong focus on global contemporary art.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the awarded artist was June Crespo (Ehrhardt Flórez Gallery).
Catapulta supports emerging and mid-career artists and curators in Spain, promoting their international visibility and highlighting the quality and innovation of their artistic production. Driven by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza and a group of patrons committed to Spanish contemporary art, the platform connects local talent with international opportunities, consolidating itself as a key agent in the visibility and development of contemporary art in Spain.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Emerige Endowment Fund and the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art (CPGA) joined forces to organize the Emerige – CPGA Award, aimed at recognizing a living artist active on the French art scene who is exhibiting at ARCOmadrid 2026.
The Emerige – CPGA Award recognizes the quality of an artwork while also highlighting the professional relationship between the artist and their gallery. Award recipients receive a total prize of €10,000, split equally between the artist and the gallery.
The jury of the Emerige – CPGA Award was composed of directors of cultural institutions, exhibition curators, and collectors.
Any gallery presenting at least one work by an artist of French nationality or based in France is eligible and may submit an application.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the award was granted to Sofía Salazar Rosales (ChertLüdde Gallery).
In 2026, and in collaboration with the ARCO Foundation, Club Matador presented its I Acquisition Award. Through a donation of €5,000, Club Matador encourages the expansion of the ARCO Collection with the acquisition of a multiple work (graphic work, serial photography, or an editioned object). Following the selection made by Tania Pardo (MCA2M) and Joanna Zielinska (M HKA), the winner was Sheida Soleimani (Harlan Levey Projects Gallery).
With the collaboration of Club Matador, the ARCO Foundation continues to promote one of the most outstanding contemporary art collections in Spain. The ARCO Collection, currently deposited at the Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, remains accessible to the public through this institution, as well as through other loans and exhibitions.
Club Matador is a project inspired and driven by its members—individuals with intellectual curiosity who wish to be part of a unique and distinctive initiative. Founded in 2013 in the spirit of Matador magazine, the Club is a meeting place where professionals of different ages, backgrounds, training, and cultures enjoy an extraordinary space. It is a hub for exchange, where culture and ideas are the pillars of the project.