Open call for submissions for 7th Ithra Art Prize announced by KSA

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has announced the open call for the 7th edition of the biennial Ithra Art Prize, an art grant supporting contemporary art across the Arab world. Submissions officially opened on July 24 and will be accepted till October 16, 2025. Founded in 2017, the prize is a valuable platform for artists from the region. With a grand award of USD 100,000, the winning artwork will find a permanent home in Ithra's forever art collection.

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In a significant expansion from previous years, the prize, through an appointed jury, will bestow production grants to five finalists for showcasing their work in an exhibition at Ithra, in the spring of 2026. The exhibition is a new highlight of the prize, as it returns the award to its home in KSA's Eastern Province, contributing to the artists' evolving legacies and aiming to amplify the discourse on contemporary art in the region. The final winner will be selected during the course of the exhibition.

As part of its evolving approach, both new commissions and also recontextualised existing works, are eligible to apply. The Ithra Art Prize recognises artists whose practices are intellectually engaged, contextually grounded, and developed through sustained inquiry over time. Submitted works must also reflect artists' ongoing practice and research. The prize is open to individual artists and collectives aged 18 and older, should be of Arab heritage or be currently residing in one of the 22 Arab countries.