IKOB – Feminist Art Prize 2025

The IKOB – Museum of Contemporary Art has been awarding an art prize every three years since its founding. In 2019, the prize was announced for the first time with an explicitly feminist focus. With this edition of the Feminist Art Prize in 2025, on the one hand we look back on the past two editions with satisfaction, but on the other hand we have to acknowledge that the global situation with regard to gender equality has worsened.

We are experiencing an unbridled wave of political revanchism and right-wing populism around the world, which is forcing us to question the widespread assumption of linear and inevitable progress. A feminist art prize is therefore more important than ever. But there are also enough reasons not to let our heads hang, because feminist art practice is resilient and future-oriented. It offers alternatives and a safe home for the most diverse life plans. We want to promote and strengthen these positions in contemporary art – especially those that confront us with the complexity of the body, identity and society and are not satisfied with simple answers. Utopia, eroticism, community, energy, resilience: together we want to search for a better future with this art prize.

The IKOB invites artists to apply for the IKOB – Feminist Art Prize 2025. Artists residing in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg or Germany can take part. After reviewing the applications, the IKOB team will invite a group of finalists to participate in the prize exhibition. Artists will have the opportunity to show existing works and will be featured in an accompanying publication. IKOB will pay all participants a fee of € 500 plus VAT.

The jury will meet at IKOB before the opening of the exhibition on April 13, 2025 and select three winners. The first, second and third prizes each come with a cash prize of €3,000, €2,000 and €1,500. The third prize will be awarded to an artist in East Belgium. The jury members are: Caitlin Hennen (independent art consultant and curator), Jemima Kulumba (curator and founder of the “Biennale of Women in Art”, Brussels), Noor Mertens (director, Kunstmuseum Bochum), Stilbé Schroeder (curator, Casino Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2026) and Marnie Slater (artist and winner of the IKOB – Feminist Art Prize 2022). 

• Application deadline: January 19, 2025, midnight 
• Announcement of exhibition participants: January 28, 2025
• Judging, followed by exhibition opening and award ceremony: Sunday, April 13, 2025 
• Exhibition period: April 15 – August 24, 2025 

To apply, please send us the following documents (in English, German or French) as a single PDF file (max. 10 MB – please as an email attachment, no download links ) to the email address artprize@ikob.be: 

• CV with contact details (email, phone, address, website) 
• A short cover letter explaining the connection of the artistic practice to the goals of the IKOB – Feminist Art Prize
• Documentation of current relevant works with captions that clearly indicate which existing and available works can be shown as part of the exhibition at IKOB from April 13th to August 24th, 2025. 

Please note that we cannot accept applications received after the application deadline. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at artprize@ikob.be

IKOB – Feminist Art Prize 2019 IKOB – Feminist Art Prize 2022