World African Artists United
The prize
The WAAU Prize fosters synergies between African and Afro-descendant artists and a network of collectors, institutions, and cultural stakeholders.
It is committed to advocating for the international recognition of African cultural references and their central role in contemporary artistic innovation. By doing so, the Prize aims to elevate the visibility of these artists and their work, encouraging greater engagement with their cultural heritage and its intersections with other global traditions.
This Prize also seeks to inspire and empower new generations of African and Afro-descendant artists. It encourages them to embrace and celebrate their cultural identities in dialogue with other cultures, while facilitating the growth and development of their artistic practices within the broader field of contemporary art.
As a dynamic, ongoing initiative, further details will be shared in due course as we continue to advance our mission and engage with the broader artistic community.
The Panel’s Selection
Selected artists will be invited to apply for the Prize.
The panel’s selection will be composed by a group of experts in contemporary art, curators, reviewers, authors, and artists.
Eligibility Criteria
The chosen artists will be invited to register online on the WAAU Platform.
The online forms must include the portfolio presentation, with original works of art, in the mediums of painting, drawing, engraving, sculpture, object, photography, video, and installation, will be considered.
If selected as finalists, the artists must commit to assign their selected works of art, mentioned in the portfolio as available, to be shown in exhibitions.
Prize Panel
The Prize panel will be composed by the art curator responsible for the finalists’ exhibition and the contemporary art curators who will welcome the Prize-winner for an individual exhibition or artistic residence.
After analyzing the applications, the Prize Panel will choose 5 finalists to be presented in a joint exhibition in Lisbon, as part of the ARCO Lisboa Art Fair programme.
The panel is invited to come to Portugal to attend the finalists’ combined exhibition and choose, unanimously, the final Prize-winner, in a meeting conducted by the scientific direction of the Prize, who is not entitled to vote.
Finalists and winner
The finalists will be presented in a museum of one of the Prize associates.
Besides the exhibition, a catalogue will be created to record the works of the selected artists.
The finalists and the Prize winner will be addressed with special promotion attention on the WAAU Platform, which for the following years will follow the activities of the artists, encouraging galleries and other entities to participate.
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