AWARDS & PRIZES

The Cass Art Prize 2026 will award a £10,000 cash prize to the overall winner of the competition. There are additional Awards worth over £20,000 including a Students Award, an Art Educators Award and more! Plus a prestigious group exhibition at The Bomb Factory, Marylebone, London in autumn 2026.

You may enter up to 4 works. All entries will be considered for the Main Prize and any other awards relevant to the entrant and their work. Shortlisted artists will be invited to exhibit at The Bomb Factory, Marylebone, London in autumn 2026.

How to Enter

1. The Open Call runs from 3rd March 2026 – midday on 12th May 2026.

2. Select the opportunity you want to enter (you may only enter 1 opportunity)

   • THE CASS ART PRIZE 2026 - MAIN PRIZE - Entries will be considered for the Main Prize and any other awards relevant to the entrant and their work, excluding the Students Award & the Art Educators Award.

   • STUDENTS AWARD - Entries will be considered for the Main Prize, the Students Award and any other awards relevant to the entrant and their work, excluding the Art Educators Award.

   • ART EDUCATORS AWARD - Entries will be considered for the Main Prize, the Art Educators Award and any other awards relevant to the entrant and their work, excluding the Students Award.

3. Create an account on our partner platform Zealous or if you already have an account, simply login. For technical queries regarding the Zealous platform, please contact Zealous via their Live Chat or email info@zealous.co.

4. Terms & Conditions. Make sure you have read the full Terms & Conditions, read the Guidelines and click ‘next’.

5. Take a high-resolution photo of your work in good lighting, with no shadows falling across it, and closely crop the photograph to the work.

6. Draft your first submission, select your category & make your payment. You can choose 1 category per work, either 3D Artwork, Acrylic, Drawing & Sketching, Mixed Media & Printmaking, Pastel, Oil, Watercolour or 'Other'. When you get to the payment stage you can pay for additional submissions. You will only be able to submit additional entries after you have made the payment.

7. Upload your submission images as Jpegs or PNG files (we suggest between 3MB-8MB).

8. Add the title and a short description of the work.

9. Check any relevant confirmation boxes.

10. Tell us a little about yourself in a short biography (maximum 200 words).

11. Tell us a little about the work (maximum 200 words).

12. Add the details about the work. Include title, medium, size (cm), weight (if relevant), and year the work was made.

13. Let us know if the work is for sale and the price of the work.

14. Enter your website address and Instagram handle (if you have them).

15. Answer some questions. Indicate if you'd like to be considered for the Solo Show Award, The Showcase Award, The Development Award, The Emerging Artist Award (for ages 35 and under) or The Over 65 Award (for ages 65 and over).

16. Add your date of birth (only required if you would like to be considered for The Emerging Artist Award or the Over 65 Award).

17. Add your contact details.

18. Select the number of works you would like to enter. Make sure you know how many works you want to enter before you submit as the price changes for multiple submissions (you can choose to submit up to 4 entries). Once you have completed the form, select the package you wish to buy & follow the steps on the Zealous platform. You won’t be able to take advantage of the discounted rate if you select the wrong package.

19. Make your payment. Once you are ready to pay, simply add your card details and click pay.

20. Making edits. You can save your submission(s) and make edits before midday on 12th May 2026.

21. Refunds. You may withdraw your work from the competition by contacting cassartprize@cassart.co.uk however there are no refunds on entry fees.

22. Notifications. Ensure you have subscribed to the Cass Art Newsletter for updates and mark cassartprize@cassart.co.uk as a safe email address/add it to your list of allowed senders. If you haven’t received an email from Cass Art or The Cass Art Prize by the end of day on 23rd July 2026, please check your junk and promotional folders or contact cassartprize@cassart.co.uk. A list of Shortlisted works will also be published at www.cassart.co.uk/thecassartprize on 21st July 2026.

Eligibility

Who can enter The Cass Art Prize?
The prize is open to all artists of all abilities based in the UK, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) & the Republic of Ireland aged 18+.

What can I enter?
Accepting all forms of 2D & 3D artworks made using analogue materials. Artworks must have been created and completed after 1st March 2023.

How many works may I enter?
Artists may enter up to 4 artworks.

What is not accepted?
We are not accepting photography, videography, sound art, performance art, architectural designs, NFTs, fully digital and AI artworks. Artworks which have previously won prizes or awards may not be submitted. Submitted artworks must not be submitted to other competitions taking place between 3rd March – 16th November 2026.

What if I entered The Cass Art prize in previous years?
Entrants may not enter works which have previously been submitted to The Cass Art Prize. All artists who have previously exhibited and/or won prizes in The Cass Art Prize may enter again. Previous Main Prize Winners may enter again but will not be eligible for the Main Prize.

Who can enter the Students Award?
To be eligible for the Students Award, you must be enrolled on a course in a recognised educational institution (UK or Republic of Ireland) with a minimum length of one year. You must enter via the Students Award application on Zealous.

Who can enter the Art Educators Award?
To be eligible for the Art Educators Award, you must be an Art & Design Teacher, Tutor or Technician at a school, college or university in the UK or Republic of Ireland, or a registered Art Therapist. You must enter via the Art Educators Award application on Zealous.

Who can enter the Solo Show Award?
All entrants are eligible for this Award. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for this Award.

Who can enter the Showcase Award?
All entrants are eligible for this Award. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for this Award.

Who can enter the Development Award?
All entrants are eligible for this Award. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for this Award.

Who can enter the Emerging Artist Award?
To be eligible for the Emerging Artist Award you must be aged 35 or under on 12th May 2026. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for this Award.

Who can enter the Over 65 Award?
To be eligible for the Over 65 Award you must be aged 65 or over on 12th May 2026. Please indicate on your application if you would like to be considered for this Award.

Can I enter on behalf of someone else?
No

Can I enter a collaborative piece or as a collective?
No

Can I enter if I work for The Cass Group?
The Cass Group Staff may not enter the Main Prize but will have an opportunity to enter a special staff award. A small selection of works will be exhibited at the exhibition at The Bomb Factory, Marylebone, London.

Can I enter if I am an SAA member?
SAA members may enter the prize.

I'm a student at University of the Arts London, can I be reimbursed for my entry fees?
You're in luck! All current students at University of the Arts London (UAL) are entitled to apply for a reimbursement for their entry fees for The Cass Art Prize 2025, through Arts Students' Union (Arts SU). This applies to applicants entering singular and multiple works into The Students Award in The Cass Art Prize 2026. This offer is valid from 3rd March 2026 to 12th May 2026. As funds are limited, this is on a first-come, first-served basis, although this offer can be withdrawn at any time by Arts SU without prior warning. To redeem your reimbursement, proof of student status (UAL student ID number) along with proof of entry to The Cass Art Prize 2026 must be emailed to The Arts Programme Manager, Arts SU at artsprogramme@su.arts.ac.uk by 12pm/midday, Friday 29th May 2026.

More Details

THE MAIN PRIZE

Supported by Cass Art

The Cass Art Prize 2026. Enter here to be in with a chance to win a £10,000 cash prize.

ENTRY FEES

£12 for your first entry, £8 per additional entry.

THE STUDENTS AWARD

Supported by Faber-Castell

Students enter here to be in with a chance to win £1,500 of art supplies. You must be enrolled on a course in a recognised educational institution (UK or Republic of Ireland) with a minimum length of one year.

ENTRY FEES

£10 for your first entry, £6 per additional entry.

THE ART EDUCATORS AWARD

Supported by Thames & Hudson

Art Educators enter here to be in with a chance to win £1,000 of books. You must be an Art & Design Teacher, Tutor or Technician at a school, college or university in the UK or Republic of Ireland, or a registered Art Therapist.

ENTRY FEES

£10 for your first entry, £8 per additional entry

Solo Show Award

Supported by Soho Revue

A Solo Show at Soho Revue

MORE INFORMATION



Soho Revue, founded in 2019 by India Rose James, is a contemporary art gallery located in the heart of Soho showcasing emerging artists at the vanguard of contemporary art. Soho Revue is committed to working with those who have traditionally been denied equity in the arts, and therefore prioritises a programme which promotes emerging female artists amongst other historically under-represented groups.

Through the residency programme in Artist House, the gallery’s own in-house print studio and public events programme, The Revue Club, Soho Revue has a strong commitment to supporting early-career artists. The gallery aims to continue to maintain support, nurturing relationships with artists in those three major pillars

sohorevue.com
@sohorevue

Showcase Award

Supported by The Other Art Fair

An Exhibition Space at The Other Art Fair in spring 2027

Development Award

Supported by Contemporary Art Academy

£900 of online courses & £100 of art supplies

Emerging Artist Award

Emerging Artist Award

Supported by Arches

£1,000 cash

Over 65 Award

Over 65 Award

Supported by Cass Art

£1,000 of art supplies

Emerging Artist Award

Large-Scale Artwork Award

Supported by Golden

£1,500 of art supplies

Oil Painting Award

Supported by Michael Harding

£1,500 of art supplies

Watercolour Award

Supported by Winsor & Newton

£1,500 of art supplies

Acrylic Award

Supported by Liquitex

£1,500 of art supplies

Drawing & Sketching Award

Supported by Caran d’Ache

£1,500 of art supplies

3D Artwork Award

Supported by MTN

£1,500 cash

Mixed Media & Printmaking Award

Supported by Canson

£1,000 of art supplies

Pastel Award

Supported by Sennelier

£1,500 of art supplies

People’s Choice Award

Supported by Daler-Rowney

£1,500 cash

TIMELINE


  • 3rd MAR
    Submissions open
  • 12th MAY
    Submissions close (midday)
  • 21st - 23rd JULY
    All entrants & Shortlist notified of results
  • 5th NOV
    Prize Winners announced at Private View
  • 6th - 14th NOV
    Exhibition open
  • 23rd NOV
    People's Choice Award winner announced
  • SPRING 2027
    Showcase Award Winner at The Other Art Fair
  • 2027
    Solo Show Award Winner exhibition at Soho Revue
Home    Awards & Prizes    Judges    FAQs & T&Cs

Image credit: Lavinia Harrington. Moving Tides (detail). Pastel on folded handmade paper. 36x25cm.