CIRCA PRIZE 2025
CIRCA PRIZE 2025 launches today, 1 May, with a global call challenging artists to consider sanctuary not as retreat, but as resistance — inviting them to propose new ways of seeing, surviving, and shaping our collective future. Broadcasting live from London’s Piccadilly Lights, musician and Prize Juror Björk kicked things off with a provocation: “Art in public space has the power to create sanctuary — somewhere between memory and imagination.”
Now in its fifth year, CIRCA PRIZE invites emerging and mid-career artists everywhere to submit a 2.5-minute (150 secs) video work in response to the CIRCA 20:25 Manifesto, REFUGIA. Thirty finalists will be selected by this year’s Curators’ Circle – selected annually by CIRCA to uphold the integrity of the prize – to have their work screened throughout September on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights and broadcast across the CIRCA global platform. This year’s Circle includes Amal Khalaf, Ben Broome, and Samantha Ozer — each representing curatorial practices that reflect and support the wider creative community.
A distinguished jury of cultural leaders will select one finalist to receive the 2025 CIRCA PRIZE. This year’s jury comprises Multidisciplinary Artist Alvaro Barrington; Musician and Artist Björk; Industry Game Changer Edward Enninful; Curator and Gallerist Ebony L. Haynes; Arts Patron Nicoletta Fiorucci; Cultural Force Michèle Lamy; Founder and Artistic Director of CIRCA Josef O’Connor; Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries Hans Ulrich Obrist; Curator and Historian Norman Rosenthal; and Director of Programme at Tate Modern Catherine Wood.
Applications are open now for a 50-day window, and will close at midnight on 20 June 2025. All the information you need to apply is available by tapping below.
APPLICANTS
We welcome early-career artists worldwide who have not yet realised a public art commission, working across any medium — including moving image, performance, sound, dance, poetry, and digital practices. We welcome bold ideas, new voices, and works that rethink what public art can be in 2025 and beyond. Submissions should:
- Show originality, imagination, and strong artistic vision;
- Connect meaningfully to the CIRCA 20:25 Manifesto (REFUGIA);
- Are produced to a strong technical standard appropriate to your concept;
- Have potential to inspire, provoke, or move a public audience;
- Propose a clear, ambitious plan for the new 10-minute commission.
WHAT TO SUBMIT
Submissions are free and open now until midnight, 20 June. Applicants must submit the following:
- 2.5-minute video (150 secs)
– Final version only – upload via Vimeo
– Dimensions: 1920×1080 pixels (full HD) or 5490×2160 pixels (Piccadilly format).
– Subtitles: If speech is used, provide a separate .srt file in English
– Sound is required - High-Resolution full-body portrait
- Three Written Responses
– Artist Statement (1500 characters maximum)
– Response to Manifesto (1500 characters maximum)
– Commission Proposal (3000 characters maximum) *This question carries the most weight - (If selected as a finalist) a short self-recorded video (1–2 minutes) explaining why you should win and what you would create with the Prize.
THEME
CIRCA PRIZE invites submissions in response to REFUGIA — the 2025 manifesto from CIRCA. This year’s prize challenges artists to consider sanctuary not as retreat, but as resistance — inviting them to propose new ways of seeing, surviving, and shaping our collective future.
Rooted in ideas of ecological rupture, forced migration, and collective memory, REFUGIA offers a poetic and political framework for reimagining public space in a time of planetary crisis. You can read the full manifesto here.
THE PRIZES
The CIRCA PRIZE 2025 winner will be selected by a jury to receive £30,000 to support their practice and realise a major new public commission, premiering in 2027. The winner will also receive a trophy specially designed by Ai Weiwei.
An additional £10,000 will be awarded to one finalist through a global online vote, powered by Piccadilly Lights — giving the public a direct voice in shaping the future of public art.
#CIRCAECONOMY
CIRCA PRIZE is independently funded through the #CIRCAECONOMY initiative – a circular community-drive model powered by the sale of artist editions and merchandise on the CIRCA platform. Profits from these sales are directly reinvested to support emerging and established artists worldwide. By participating in the CIRCA PRIZE, applicants engage with a wider public art programme committed to sustainability, accessibility, and the reinvestment of cultural value into the creative community.
DID YOU KNOW?
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- Read the full Terms & Conditions carefully before applying. By submitting, you are entering into a binding agreement.
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- Finalists will be asked to participate in promotional activities and social media takeovers in September.
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The winning artist will create a new 10-minute moving image work premiering in 2027.
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Submitted works must follow broadcast standards: no explicit nudity, political endorsements, hate speech, or unsafe flashing/strobing content.
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Accessibility support is available — email us if you need help applying.
KEY DATES
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- Applications open: 1 May 2025, 5:00 PM
- Applications close: 20 June 2025, midnight
- Finalists notified: By 31 July 2025
- Public screening: September 2025 on Piccadilly Lights, London, and CIRCA global screens
- Award Ceremony: 13 October 2025, LIVE! at Piccadilly Circus
Applications close 20 June
