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 produced by the brand has been associated with a renowned artist, with an artwork created specifically for the winery appearing on the label. For this reason, ENATE’s commitment to contemporary art led this renowned Somontano winery to join ARCOmadrid 2026.
Thus, ENATE will award, through an acquisition valued at €10,000, a work exhibited at ARCOmadrid 2026, which will become part of the ENATE Collection, in recognition of the artist’s work.
In its twelfth edition, the Opening. New galleries Award will be granted by ARCO, once again recognizing the best stand in this section at ARCOmadrid 2026. The award will be decided by a jury of experts composed of Michelle Cotton, Director of Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Laura Hakel, curator at the Fundación Arma Amoedo; Rebecca Lamarche Vadel, writer and curator; Ibrahim Nehme, director of the Lebanon Kunsthalle; and Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz, director of Centro Botín.
In its steadfast commitment to art and contemporary creation, Lexus strengthens its partnership with ARCOmadrid 2026 as the official vehicle and provider of mobility solutions for the fair. For the sixth consecutive year, the brand sponsors the Lexus Award for Best Booth, a recognition that celebrates exhibition excellence, innovation, and the dialogue between art, space and experience. A professional jury will be responsible for selecting the best booth participating in the 45th edition of ARCOmadrid.
For the tenth consecutive year, Cervezas Alhambra has invited emerging artists from across Spain to participate in its renowned Emerging Art Award, which is presented at ARCOmadrid. This initiative recognises the talent of those who find inspiration in craftsmanship and in the value of time.
The philosophy behind this edition, “Sin Prisa” (Without Hurry), encourages artists to explore every detail and take care with each step of the creative process. It is a concept that values technique and reflection, giving meaning to every choice made in the work.
Participants present projects that combine craftsmanship and contemporary art, reinterpreting traditional techniques such as embroidery, ceramics, glasswork and wood carving, and giving them a fresh, contemporary perspective. An international jury evaluates both the artists' careers and previous projects, as well as the innovation and care taken in their proposals, before finally selecting a winner.
This year, the project entitled Conveyors, by Mónica Mays, winner of the 9th Emerging Art Award, will be exhibited at ARCOmadrid 2026 at the brand's stand. The piece has been produced over the last six months, during which Cervezas Alhambra has supported the artist throughout the creative process.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the II Young Talent Award in Opening. New Galleries will be granted to two artists under 40 years old presenting work in the section. Each artist will receive a prize of €10,000. The award is supported by the Fundación Banco Sabadell.
The jury, composed of Michelle Cotton, Director of Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Laura Hakel, curator at the Fundación Arma Amoedo; Rebecca Lamarche Vadel, writer and curator; Ibrahim Nehme, director of the Lebanon Kunsthalle; and Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz, director of Centro Botín, will select the two winning artists.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the first edition of the PROFILES | Latin American Art Award for the Best Booth in the section will take place. This award recognises and celebrates curatorial and exhibition excellence within the section.
The prize will be awarded by a jury of renowned contemporary art experts and is supported and sponsored by Engel & Völkers, whose commitment to culture and contemporary creation strengthens this initiative aimed at highlighting outstanding proposals from the Latin American art scene within ARCOmadrid.
The Pilar Forcada ART Situacions Award returns to ARCOmadrid 2026. In this new edition, a jury composed of professionals from the sector will select the winner, who will be announced on Thursday, March 5 at 5:00 pm at the stand of the selected gallery. This year, the award will be decided by an expert jury made up of Ms. Lorena M. de Coral and Mr. Ferran Barenblit. As in all previous editions, the winning work will be incorporated into the ART Situacions collection.
Between 2017 and 2022, ART Situacions organized the Annual ART Situacions Award at ARCOmadrid to recognize the best emerging artwork at the fair. The awardees during these 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 award granted €15,000 to the artist Lara Fluxà (Bombon Projects gallery).
Within the framework of its founding objective to promote Catalan contemporary art, the Fundació Vila Casas has expanded its presence across the territory and, for the first time, participated in one of the most visible showcases in Spain: the ARCOmadrid art fair.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the Antoni Vila Casas Award will once again be presented at a ceremony to be held on Thursday the 5th at 6:30 pm at the Vila Casas stand.
In line with its core principles, the Fundació Vila Casas was pleased to announce the Antoni Vila Casas Award at ARCOmadrid 2025, an acquisition prize accompanied by an exhibition of the winning artist, Lúa Coderch (Àngels Barcelona gallery), at the Museu Can Framis.
Founded in 1986 by pharmaceutical entrepreneur and collector Antoni Vila Casas, the Fundació Vila Casas is a private, non-profit institution committed to the promotion and dissemination 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, both through its permanent collection and the organization of temporary exhibitions. In addition, through its external outreach programme Punts de Fuga, the Foundation promotes the talent of artists from its collection by organizing exhibitions at leading national and international institutions.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, the Juana de Aizpuru Award returns for its second edition. In recognition of a longstanding relationship with ARCO and a sustained commitment to the fair over the years, ARCO will grant the 2nd Juana de Aizpuru Award to one of the galleries participating in the fair. The award will be presented at a ceremony to be held on Friday, March 6, at 1:00 pm at the stand of the winning gallery.
At ARCOmadrid 2025, the award was granted to Krinzinger Gallery in recognition of its long-standing support of the fair.
The .NEWART{ foundation;}, together with the International Contemporary Art Fair ARCOmadrid 2026, announces the XXI NEWARTaward@ARCO in collaboration with the Arts Connection Foundation.
NEWARTaward@ARCO inaugurates a new era of the historic ARCO/BEEP Award for Electronic Art, which celebrated its twentieth edition last year, and recognizes a work that makes significant use of new digital technologies or electronic art.
Initiated 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 period of 60 years. This initiative later crystallized into the .NEWART{ foundation;} and, more recently, the .NEWART{ centre;}, currently a European benchmark in the production, exhibition, and conservation of Technological and Digital Art.
The award is endowed with a prize of 30,000 euros, which may be increased at the discretion of the jury, composed of specialists of recognized prestige.
At ARCOmadrid 2025, the winning work, ADSUM by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kac, was incorporated into the .NEWART{ collection;} and exhibited at the Miami New Media Festival.
At ARCOmadrid 2026, designer Catalina D’Anglade will award the 9th Catalina D’Anglade Art Award. The prize will be presented at a ceremony to be held on Wednesday, March 4, at 5:30 pm at the stand of the winning 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 celebrate 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 prestigious international museum collections, through a co-funding format. The selection of the work will be made 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.
Catapulta supports emerging and mid-career artists and curators in Spain, promoting their international projection 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, establishing 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) are partnering to organise the Emerige - CPGA Prize, which aims to recognise a living artist active on the French art scene and exhibiting at ARCO Madrid 2026.
The Emerige - CPGA Award rewards the quality of an artwork while highlighting the professional relationship between the artist and their gallery. The winners will be awarded a total prize of €10,000, to be shared equally between the artist and the gallery.
The jury of the Emerige - CPGA Prize will be composed of directors of cultural institutions, exhibition curators and collectors. It will review the proposals during a visit to the fair booths on Thursday, March 5th.
Any gallery presenting at least one work by an artist of French nationality or based in France is eligible and may submit an application. To apply, galleries are invited to complete the application form by February, 9th 2026 at the latest, using the following link: https://forms.gle/StiH2mySEuLqZ4HfA
At ARCOmadrid 2025, the prize was awarded to Mathilde Denize (Perrotin gallery), an artist active on the French art scene and exhibiting at the fair
In 2026, and in collaboration with ARCO Foundation, Club Matador grants its first Acquisition Award. Through a donation of €5,000, Club Matador will support the growth of ARCO Collection by purchasing a multiple artwork (an editioned graphic artwork, photography, or object). The selection shall be carried out by Tania Pardo (MCA2M) and Joanna Zielinska (M HKA), and the announcement will be made along with the other institutional acquisitions on March 6th.
With the collaboration of the Club Matador, ARCO Foundation continues to promote one of the most outstanding collections of contemporary art in Spain. The ARCO Collection, currently housed at Museo Centro de Arte 2 de Mayo, remains accessible to the public through this institution and other loans and exhibitions.
The Club Matador is a project inspired and driven by its members, individuals with a passion for art and a desire to be part of a unique and distinctive project. The Club was launched in 2013, inspired by the spirit of Matador magazine. It's a meeting place where professionals of different ages, backgrounds, education, and cultures enjoy an extraordinary space. A hub for connecting with others, where culture and ideas are the cornerstones of the project.