Argentina’s federal competition combines direct support for artists with the expansion of public and institutional collections.
CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA
The Bank of the Province of Córdoba has opened the 19th Bancor Painting Prize, inviting visual artists aged 18 and older from across Argentina to compete individually or collectively. The 2026 edition offers 22.4 million Argentine pesos across painting and muralism, with no prescribed theme.
The painting category includes a first acquisition prize of 5.5 million pesos, followed by awards of 3.5 million and 2.5 million pesos. Three additional Arte Bancor Joven acquisition distinctions, each worth 1.8 million pesos, are reserved for artists aged 35 or younger. Because these are acquisition awards, the winning works will become part of Bancor’s institutional art collection.
The muralism category provides 5.5 million pesos for the winning project, which will be executed in a public location selected by the municipality of Córdoba. Two additional mural proposals may receive honorary mentions without financial compensation. Applications close on September 24 for painting and October 22 for muralism.
Leila Tschopp, Ariel Martínez Archina and Franco Fasoli will serve on the jury, while Marcela Fernández, director of the Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobremonte, will oversee the process as provincial observer. Curator, educator and visual artist Verónica Molas is responsible for the competition’s general coordination.
Created in 2008, the prize has received approximately 11,800 submissions. Its acquisition programme has added 75 works to the Museo Tamburini collection, while seven winning murals have entered Córdoba’s urban landscape. The previous edition attracted 820 painting applicants and 72 muralism proposals, representing a reported 30% increase over the preceding cycle.
The launch coincides with Hallazgos en una colección, an exhibition at the Casa de Córdoba in Buenos Aires featuring works accumulated largely through earlier acquisition prizes. The combination of financial awards, collection building and public murals gives the competition a lasting function: it does not merely recognize artists temporarily, but converts selected works into accessible cultural heritage.
Detrás de cada dato, la intención. / Behind every data point, the intention.