The UNIVERSITY ART BIENNIAL AWARDS – ART WEEK 2025 will be held as part of the first edition of the University Art Biennial, which will take place in Mallorca from 2 to 6 June 2025, in various venues around the island and open to visitors throughout the summer. Through these awards, the aim is to encourage intercultural dialogue and enrich the art scene, inspiring new generations of artists and researchers. In this way, we will recognise innovation and diversity in contemporary art, offering a space for fine art students and recent graduates to showcase their talent through this platform.

We are proud and deeply grateful to announce that these prestigious awards are generously supported by a network of institutions committed to advancing the arts and nurturing young talent. The Grupo Barceló is the principal sponsor and funder of the Emerging Artist Award, reflecting a strong commitment to promoting creativity and innovation within the cultural landscape. Their support allows us to recognize and celebrate the remarkable achievements of young artists who are shaping the future of contemporary art.

In addition, we are honored to count on the collaboration of several distinguished partners whose contributions further enrich the Biennial. Quartier am Hafen (Germany), through the Can Pep Nebot Residency Award, supports international artistic research and cultural exchange. ADEMA University School offers two key prizes: an artist residency with acquisition, reinforcing its institutional collection, and a full master’s scholarship awarded in partnership with Art Palma Contemporani, bolstering the academic and professional development of promising artists. The Xavier Fiol Gallery Award opens doors for selected artists to participate in one of the most prominent events on the island’s art calendar, Nit de l’Art, providing professional visibility through curated exhibitions. Finally, the Best Institutional Proposal Award honors the creative vision of participating institutions, fostering collective artistic engagement.

Together, these sponsors and partners affirm a shared mission: to offer a vibrant, international platform where emerging voices in art can thrive, be recognized, and expand their horizons. Their support is essential in building a space of exchange, experimentation, and cultural dialogue at the heart of the University Art Biennial.

1. Requirements for participants

The UNIVERSITY ART BIENNIAL – ART WEEK 2025 AWARDS are open to all young artists belonging to the universities participating in the Biennial, as well as to the institutions themselves, in any of the fields of painting, sculpture, drawing, photography or plastic and visual media and techniques.

2. Award categories

Grupo Barceló Emerging Artist Award
Sponsored by Grupo Barceló, this award grants a €5,000 first prize to the most outstanding work presented at the Biennial. The winning piece will become part of the Biennial’s official collection and will be exhibited. Two honorable mentions will also be awarded to recognize other exceptional works, without monetary compensation.

Best Institutional Proposal Award
This category honors the most compelling proposal submitted by a participating institution with an honorary first prize. Two additional institutions will receive honorable mentions. This award does not include a financial endowment.

Can Pep Nebot Residency Award
In collaboration with Quartier am Hafen (Germany), this prize offers a one-month artistic research residency in Son Servera (Mallorca).

ADEMA Residency and Acquisition Award
This prize offers an artistic residency at ADEMA, focused on the development of a new project. At the end of the residency, the resulting work will be acquired by ADEMA and added to its institutional collection.

Art Palma Contemporani Award
A one-year master’s scholarship at ADEMA University School, awarded to a selected artist in collaboration with Art Palma Contemporani.

Xavier Fiol Gallery Award
One artist will be selected to take part in a group exhibition curated by gallerist Xavier Fiol, to be held during Palma’s Nit de l’Art 2025.

3. Requirements and submission of works

The works submitted must be original and may not have been awarded prizes in other competitions. No work may be submitted for which the intellectual property rights do not belong entirely and without exception to the artist submitting it. In the event that the work is made up of more than one element, the series will be understood, to all intents and purposes, to be a single work.

Only unpublished works will be accepted. Previously exhibited or published pieces will be excluded from both the exhibition and the competition.

4. Award procedure

a)The selection of works will be carried out by an international jury composed of experts in each of the aforementioned categories. The jury will include one person appointed by ADEMA University School of Fine Arts, another appointed by the Barceló Group, and five additional members with a distinguished background in the field of visual and plastic arts. The composition of the international jury will be announced prior to the start of the International Biennial for Researchers and Students of Fine Arts.

The jury’s decisions will be final and cannot be appealed. It is the jury that will determine, through the application of the established criteria, the winners of the different categories. These deliberations will be documented in an official record, which will include the winners of each category in the competition. Each jury member will receive financial compensation for their work.

1. b) Coinciding with the conclusion of the International Biennial for Researchers and Students of Fine Arts, the jury’s decision will be announced, and the prizes will be awarded to the winning works and the recognized institutions.

1. c) The winning work of the first prize for Emerging Artist: UNIVERSITY ART BIENNIAL – ARTWEEK 2025 will be subject to the applicable taxation laws. This prize will become part of the Barceló Group’s art collection, and the author will transfer the material ownership rights, as well as rights for publication, exhibition, and reproduction of the winning work to the Barceló Group, always with their consent and solely for dissemination purposes. These rights will not be exclusive and will never be transferred to third parties.

1. d) Participation in the UNIVERSITY ART BIENNIAL – ARTWEEK 2025 AWARDS implies acceptance of these terms and conditions and a waiver of any legal claims. Proposals that do not strictly comply with these terms will not be accepted.

For more information or any questions, please contact us at info@universityartbiennial.art