Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize 2026

 

The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize seeks to discover talented writers on contemporary art. The winner of the prize receives 1,000 GBP, their review is published in Burlington Contemporary and they have the opportunity to publish a review of a future contemporary art exhibition in The Burlington Magazine. 

The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize advances their commitment to the study of contemporary art in the Magazine and on Burlington Contemporary. Designed to encourage aspiring writers, the prize promotes clear, concise and well-structured writing that is able to navigate sophisticated ideas without recourse to over-complex language.

To enter the prize, entrants should submit one unpublished review of one contemporary art exhibition. The review must be between 800 and 1,000 words in length and accompanied by up to three low-resolution images. 

Entrants must have published no more than 6 pieces of writing in print or online, in any language or country, prior to their submission. This does not include personal blogs and websites, but does relate to writing of any sort, on any topic, published by a professional outlet (excluding student newspapers).

‘Contemporary’ is defined as art produced since 2000. The exhibition under review can be staged anywhere in the world, but it should be current or have closed within the last six months at the date of submission.

Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize 2026 application guidelines

Deadline: 20 July 2026