ARCOlisboa 2025 Awards
ARCOlisboa supports collecting and the promotion of artistic talent, creating spaces that foster connections to stimulate purchases within the fair. Both national and international companies and institutions join the initiative, offering awards that encourage the acquisition of artworks and recognition of the artists present at the fair. These prizes, often linked to the values of the brands that grant them, alongside the awards presented by the fair itself, emphasise the importance of artistic creation and its relevance within the contemporary art scene.
In 2025, the Fundação Millennium bcp Award for Best Booth at the ARCOlisboa Fair will be presented for the third time.
This award highlights the creativity, innovation, and exhibition quality of the participating galleries, while also recognizing the work of their gallerists. It reinforces Fundação Millennium bcp's commitment to contemporary art, encouraging excellence and originality in the presentation of artworks. By supporting this award, the Foundation reaffirms its role in promoting artistic talent and the dynamism of the art market in Portugal and beyond.
In its VI edition, the Opening Lisboa Award will once again recognise the best stand in this section at ARCOlisboa. In the 2025 edition, the jury, composed of Etienne Bernard (Director of FRAC Bretagne), Ana Botella (Curator at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum), Fernanda Brenner (Artistic Director of PIVÔ), Julia Coelho (Independent Curator), Jessie James (Director of Walk & Talk), Cedric Fauq (Chief curator at Capc Musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux), will be responsible for selecting the winning gallery for the award, as well as granting special mentions to the participating projects.
Following its opening in Lisbon in March 2025, MACAM - Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins will Grant, for the first time at ARCOLisboa fair, the MACAM Acquisition Award, selecting an artwork for inclusion in its permanent collection. This award underlines MACAM's commitment to promoting contemporary art and its role as a dynamic bridge between artists and audiences worldwide.
The award will be presented on Friday, 30 May 2025 at 5pm (location TBC).
MACAM – Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins, is the first museum and 5-star hotel concept of its kind in Europe. Set in the historic site of Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande and in a contemporary extension, located between Lisbon’s Alcântara and Belém cultural districts, MACAM covers 13,000 square meters, including 2,000sq metres of exhibition space.
Founded by the Portuguese collector and entrepreneur Armando Martins, the MACAM showcases his personal art collection, which comprises more than 600 works, dating from the late 19th century to present day. MACAM represents the culmination of a five-decade passion and commitment to acquire modern and contemporary art. It also embodies Martins’ firm belief that art should be accessible to all, thus justifying the project motto: The House of Private Collections, where other private collectors will be invited to show their collections in MACAM’s exhibition space.
At ARCOlisboa 2025, Colección Studiolo - Candela A. Soldevilla will grant an Acquisition Award to a work selected from the proposals presented in this edition. The award will be presented as a recognition, promotion, and support for contemporary art.