Queer Britain launches fifth annual Art Award with £3,000 prize fund

Queer Britain, the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum, has launched the fifth edition of its Art Award, with this year’s competition set to be its biggest yet.

The international open call is open to artists, designers and makers at all career stages, with work invited across a broad range of mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, digital art, performance and moving image. Artists can submit up to three works created within the past five years. 

The award has a total £3,000 prize fund, while up to 80 selected works will be displayed in a London exhibition opening in December 2026.

Who is on the selection panel?

This year’s selection panel includes a host of prominent figures from the queer arts world, including RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini, curator and writer Gemma Rolls-Bentley, and Davy Pittoors, founder of queer art fair Queeriosities.

The panel also features cartoonist Kate Charlesworth, photographer Alia Romagnoli and Queer Britain’s Head of Design and Special Projects, Mark King. 

Previous winners include artist Tony Mentel, whose embroidered tapestry View from Dukes Mound commemorated a Brighton cruising spot destroyed during lockdown, and Sarah Jane Moon, known for portraits of queer icons. Mentel said winning the award increased his online visibility and led to exhibition opportunities, sales and new connections within the queer art community. 

How to enter the Queer Britain Art Award

The open call launched on 3 June 2026, with entries closing at 5pm on Tuesday 29 September.

Artists can enter one, two or three works. Standard entry fees are £15 for one work, £27 for two and £35 for three, while artists under 30 can enter for £10, £20 or £30 respectively. 

Selected artists will be notified by 22 October, ahead of the exhibition and prize announcement in December.

Apply here. Entries close at 5pm on 29 September 2026.