Leopold Bloom Art Award 2025

Call for applications

The Leopold Bloom Art Award, a contemporary art prize, was founded in 2011 by Irish couple Mary McLoughlin and John Ward, who came into contact with the Hungarian art scene as art collectors and art transport professionals. The biennial award aims to support the international engagement of Hungarian artists.

The eponymous character is the protagonist of James Joyce's world-famous novel, and the prize symbolises the values of Ulysses and art in general: internationalism, independence and cultural links.

In 2025, the Kiscelli Museum will host the award ceremony and the finalists' exhibition.

The call for applications is organised by the Leopold Bloom Art Foundation.

The award

The Leopold Bloom Art Award is worth €6,000, which the winner of the award will use to organise an exhibition abroad.

After the award ceremony, the winner will work with the organiser to develop a concept for the optimal location and date of the exhibition abroad. The winner will have 18 months from the date of the payment of the prize to realise the exhibition. An important criterion for choosing the venue is that it should be a space with an audience, tradition and style that is relevant to the genre of the winner's work and will help the artist to build a career internationally. The transport of the works will be provided by Maurice Ward Art Handling in addition to the prize provided.

Prize winners will receive a €1,000 honorarium each, participation in an exhibition organised by the Foundation, inclusion of their work and artistic statement in the exhibition's printed bilingual catalogue, a portrait film and a personal meeting with members of the international professional jury. The winner's fee is included in the prize.

The Collection of the Leopold Bloom Art Foundation

In 2023, the Leopold Bloom Art Foundation began building its own art collection, with which it will continue to support the work of Hungarian artists and promote their work in the country and abroad through future travels of the collection. The collection is currently housed in the Szombathely Art Gallery, where it is presented in temporary exhibitions.

The finalist artists can donate an artwork of their choice to the collection, thus contributing to the work of the Foundation.

Application fee: no fee

Type of call: open to the public

Who can apply

The award is open to artists of all ages who are active in the Hungarian art world, or who are prominent in the local art scene.

Jury procedure, announcement of the results

Applications will be judged by a three-member jury of renowned international art professionals. The jury will first select finalists online, based on the portfolios and exhibition plans, who will then be presented at a joint exhibition. The final decision will be made by the jury after personal meetings, studio visits and a viewing of the finalists' exhibition and will be announced at the exhibition opening, which will also be the award ceremony.

The application must include:

A professional CV in English
Digital portfolio in English, with details of the works included (website, other online portfolio site, e.g. Instagram not accepted as a portfolio, but may be included in it)
An artist statement in English (min. 1000, max. 2000 characters)
A concept text, in English, of a foreign exhibition of the applicant's works, not exceeding two pages. The concept may be either for a solo exhibition or for the applicant's participation in a group exhibition. In the latter case, the full concept of the group exhibition and a list of the exhibiting artists must be attached.
Reproductions of at least four and up to six artworks which the applicant intends to exhibit in the event of selection for the finalists' exhibition. Please include the details of the works (title, year, technique, size, other information) in the file name (in English). Please do not upload the video works as files, but make them available in a dedicated document via a link.
A written letter of intent from a foreign exhibition venue to host the planned exhibition, or a letter of support from the head of a foreign exhibition venue or institution explaining why they consider the applicant worthy of the award. (The letter of intent is not an obligation for the winner, the venue of the exhibition may change during the implementation period.)

Deadline for submission of applications: 13 July 2025, midnight

Procedure for submitting applications

Applications can only be submitted online, after registration at info@leopoldbloomaward.com, as detailed below. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

How to apply:

Registration: please send an e-mail to info@leopoldbloomaward.com with your full name and contact details (e-mail, phone). In the subject line please indicate: REGISTRATION

The deadline for registration is 8 July 2025, midnight.

Uploading application materials: the applicant will receive a link to a Google Drive folder as a confirmation email, where he/she can upload the documents and files required for the application. For reproductions and photo works, the file name must include the details of the work (title, year, technique, size) in English.

To upload the application materials, the applicant will need a Gmail email address and a sufficient amount of free storage space on their Google Drive.

Closure: You will not be able to access or edit your folder after the deadline. Incomplete applications and/or applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Deadlines:

Deadline for registration: 8 July 2025, midnight

Deadline for submission of applications: 13 July 2025, midnight

Finalists will be announced on 31 July 2025.

Announcement of the winner: mid-September 2025

Contact:

Dalma Eszter Kollár
artistic director

Email: dalma.kollar@leopoldbloomaward.com

Virág Fehér
assistant curator

Email: info@leopoldbloomaward.com

Conditions of participation:

The prize is open to artists working in Hungary or who are prominently present in the Hungarian art scene, without age limit and free of charge.
Applicants undertake to cooperate with the Organiser, to provide the necessary information and to meet the deadlines.
Applicants accept the decision of the professional jury and that the jury will not give reasons for their decision on unsuccessful applications.
Applicants must not influence the jury during the selection process, and if the artist or his/her representative does so in any way, the applicant will be immediately disqualified from the competition.
If the jury selects the applicant for the award exhibition, the artist acknowledges and agrees that:
- to make available, without further remuneration, the works of art identified in the application and selected by the jury for the duration of the exhibition. The Organiser will provide transport and install the artworks for the duration of the exhibition.
- The Organiser may use the exhibited works of art in communications relating to the Leopold Bloom Art Award and in the exhibition catalogue without restriction and free of charge, provided that the appearance does not damage the artist's reputation.
- A professional interview film may be produced and used by the Organiser to promote the exhibition and the artist's work, and published on its online platforms
The winner of the award agrees:
- to carry out the exhibition described in the application within the contractual deadline
- Within one month of the closing date of the foreign exhibition, prepare a short report in English and Hungarian, and send this report and the photographic and video material of the exhibition to the Organiser.
- a separate written agreement on the payment of the fee and the details of the cooperation will be concluded
Applicants accept that their data is voluntary and that by submitting their application they consent to the Organiser processing their personal data during the evaluation of the application.
By participating, applicants acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions of participation. Any violation of these conditions may lead to disqualification from the competition.