The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has announced an open call for the seventh edition of the Ithra Art Prize — one of the Arab world’s most generous art grants — offering a prize of $100,000.
The prize, which was launched in 2017, supports contemporary artists from or based in 22 Arab countries. While the prize initially focused on Saudi artists, it has since expanded its reach to artists from around the region. Awarded biennially, the present edition is open for submissions until Oct. 16, 2025. Both new commissions as well as recontextualized existing works are accepted as part of the submission process and must be closely linked to the artist’s creative work.
Applicants must be aged 18 or older and of Arab heritage, and they must be residing in one of the 22 Arab countries. Individual artists as well as artist collectives can apply.
The prize money enables the winner to complete and realize ambitious creative projects. Once completed, the work will be exhibited at Ithra, providing a platform to showcase the artist’s creation to a wider audience.
“The Ithra Art Prize supports artists who engage creatively and critically with conditions and ideas that speak to the diverse contexts of our region,” Farah Abushullaih, head of the Ithra Museum, said in the official release. “The Seventh Edition of the Ithra Art Prize marks a homecoming that expands the prize’s scope through an exhibition at Ithra featuring multiple works in dialogue with one another.”
Past recipients of the prize include Saudi artists Ayman Zedani in 2018, Daniah Al Saleh in 2019 and Fahad bin Naif in 2020. Berlin-based Tunisian-Ukrainian artist Nadia Kaabi-Linke won in 2021, and in 2023, Iraqi-Finnish artist Adel Abidin was the recipient.
In addition to the prize money, the winning artwork will be permanently showcased alongside Ithra’s permanent art collection. This year, the prize will also endow generous production grants to five finalists, enabling them to showcase their work in an exhibition at Ithra in spring 2026.
Dates: Submission through Oct. 16; exhibition spring 2026
Location: Ithra
Find more information here.