Bow Arts has announced the open call for the 2027 edition of the East London Art Prize, continuing its mission to support and platform artists living and working across East London.
Now entering its third cycle, the East London Art Prize has quickly established itself as one of London’s most artist-focused awards, combining financial support, exhibitions, mentoring and long-term professional development opportunities for emerging and mid-career practitioners.
The 2027 edition will support a cohort of 12 shortlisted artists through exhibitions, events and tailored career development programming. From the final cohort, one artist will receive the exhibition prize of £15,000 alongside a solo exhibition at Bow Arts’ Nunnery Gallery, while another artist will be awarded a year-long Bow Arts studio residency.
This year’s judging panel brings together figures from across the contemporary art and cultural industries, including Brendan Cormier, Chief Curator at V&A East; Alex Needham, Arts Editor at The Guardian; Marine Tanguy, CEO of MTArt Agency; and artist Michelle Williams Gamaker.
The selected panel will review submissions throughout the summer before choosing the 2027 cohort in September. The final exhibition and prize winners will then be announced during the shortlisted artists’ exhibition in early 2027.
Since its launch in 2022, the East London Art Prize has become an increasingly significant platform for artists at pivotal moments in their careers. Previous exhibition winner Kat Anderson was recently selected for New Contemporaries 2025/26 and named a 2025 Stanley Picker Fellow, while 2025 winner Laisul Hoque recently presented his acclaimed exhibition The Ground Beneath Me at Nunnery Gallery.
Hoque has also been awarded a Film London FLAMIN Fellowship and will present his winning work An Ode to all the Flavours at Whitechapel Gallery as part of its Backyard Biennial programme. Other artists from the 2025 cohort, including Joseph Ijoyemi, Kuda Mushangi and Lydia Newman, are set to present the exhibition Common Ground at New Art Exchange in Nottingham in early 2027.
The prize is organised by Bow Arts and sponsored by Minerva and Prue MacLeod, with support from an extensive network of cultural partners including British Council, Dulux, East Bank, The Line, London College of Fashion UAL, London Legacy Development Corporation, Own Art, UCL East, V&A East and Whitechapel Gallery.
For more than 30 years, Bow Arts has played a central role in east London’s artistic ecology, providing affordable studios and opportunities for artists across the capital.
The East London Art Prize is open to artists living or working within an east London borough. Applicants should hold an arts degree or equivalent qualification, or demonstrate a sustained commitment to their artistic practice. Artist collectives and collaborative submissions are also eligible to apply.
East London Art Prize open call period runs from 14th May – 16th August 2026
More info: bowarts.org/east-london-art-prize
About
The East London Art Prize celebrates and promotes the incredible talent and diversity of art made in the cultural hive of east London. Proudly sponsored by Minerva and Prue MacLeod, each cycle supports a cohort of 12 artists, as well as an exhibition award, comprising of a cash prize of £15,000 and a solo exhibition at our Nunnery Gallery, and a residency award, a yearlong studio residency with Bow Arts. The entire cohort is presented at a biannual exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery, with all artists given mentoring and career development opportunities.
Headed by Bow Arts and supported by a network of local supporting partners, including British Council, Dulux, East Bank, The Line, London College of Fashion UAL, London Legacy Development Corporation, Own Art, UCL East, V&A East and Whitechapel Gallery, the Prize forms part of our ongoing support and development of opportunities for artists.
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