Maľba (The Painting) competition opens its doors to young painters for the twentieth time.
Maľba is one of the most prestigious art competitions in Slovakia, supporting and elevating the profile of emerging professional painters for two decades. The VÚB Foundation, which has been behind the initiative from the beginning, announces its twentieth-anniversary edition. Young and talented artists can register their work until 20 May 2025. An expert jury will select 20 finalists and then decide on three winners, who will receive, in addition to the recognition of experts, awards worth 30 thousand euros. The winners will be announced in September, and all the artwork that has made it to the finals will be available to the public, modern art enthusiasts and laymen alike, in the Nedbalka Gallery at the traditional exhibition Maľba 2025.
Aspiring painters at the early stages of their artistic careers can have their work evaluated by renowned European experts in contemporary painting. They can compete for public recognition and the prestigious “The Painting – VÚB Foundation Award for Young Artists.” For 20 years, this initiative focused on evaluating and appreciating the quality of visual art has remained dedicated to its mission: to support young talents and showcase contemporary visual art to the public.
Applications are open from 1 April until 20 May 2025.
Active painters under the age of 35 can take part in this year’s Maľba competition. You can register by filling in the online form, which also contains the submission conditions and competition rules. The application deadline is 20 May 2025.
Every year, an international jury composed of leading European visual artists, theorists, curators, gallerists and teachers is the guarantor of an impartial and professional evaluation of the submitted works. The jury will judge the artworks in two rounds. By the beginning of the summer, it will select the final 20 from the entries and decide on three winners in September. The culmination of this year’s competition will once again be an exhibition of 20 finalists’ works in the Nedbalka Gallery in Bratislava, which will be open to the public free of charge as a courtesy of the VÚB Foundation.
