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Applications are currently being accepted for the Absa Group L'Atelier Competition 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
The Absa L’Atelier competition, through its prizes, focuses on how best to support the artist in growing their brand and in equipping artists with the relevant skills needed to build their careers. The Absa L’Atelier also gives artists opportunities to build their network and collaborate in their art practice, while providing them with an unique platform that would best position them within the visual arts industry.
There are two sets of prizes for the 2026 Absa L’Atelier Award winners:
The main prize, which is awarded to the three Absa L’Atelier Ambassadors; and
The second prize, which is the Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award, for a South African entrant who continues to demonstrate growth in their art production.
Main prize
The winners will take up their prizes concurrently. The winner (Ambassador) from each of the three groups will receive the following:
A new laptop or equivalent with Windows and an MS Office package installed.
A total of 11 two-hour masterclasses, either virtually or in-person, from leading global authorities over a three-month period from May to July 2027. The topics covered through the masterclasses include:
Mental wellness: Understanding mental health and how to deal with it;
Financial wellness: Budgeting and managing your finances;
Legal wellbeing: The importance of contracts, wills and trusts;
The art of negotiation and conflict resolution;
Studio practice;
Media training and presence, and social media audience development and public relations;
Building and managing an art portfolio;
Fundraising and proposal writing;
Art professionalism: Developing your career and building your brand as an artist;
Artist residencies and how they can benefit your career; and
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
A four-month mentorship with a leading authority in the visual arts from their respective country. The mentorship programme will take place from June to September 2027.
The year after being awarded the prize, a concurrent two-month international residency with the Kromdraai Impact Hub in South Africa in 2027. The residency programme runs from 11 May to 11 July 2027.While in residency, the three Ambassadors:
Will be introduced to South Africa’s art and cultural scene;
Have the option to produce an artwork that will be converted into an NFT; and
Produce a limited body of artworks for a pop-up exhibition on the last weekend of their residency.
The option to host a solo exhibition within two years of winning the award (i.e. those who win in 2026, will have to exhibit by 2028). The exhibition will take place in the artist’s home country, at the Absa Gallery or at an alternative venue as decided on by Absa and its partners. The Ambassador attends the exhibition opening and is awarded up to R100 000 for material costs towards the exhibition. All artworks must be available for sale with the majority of the proceeds going to the artist. The masterclasses, mentoring and residency are to take place in 2027, as per the dates indicated above.
Gerard Sekoto Award
The Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award is open to any South African artist aged between 25 and 35 years. This award is made possible by IFAS and the French Embassy in South Africa, in partnership with Absa and SANAVA. To qualify, an entrant must be a permanent South African citizen and be permanently residing in South Africa.
The award comprises:
A three-month residency, from April to June in 2027, at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France, including return airfare from South Africa to Paris, a daily stipend while in Paris and return transport between the artist’s place of residence in South Africa and the airport.
A solo exhibition with a partner gallery in Johannesburg in 2028. Absa will cover the material and framing costs for this exhibition up to a maximum value of R100 000.
Three virtual masterclasses, covering:
Mental wellness: Understanding mental health and how to deal with it;
Financial wellness: Budgeting and managing your finances; and
Legal wellbeing: The importance of contracts, wills and trusts.
Apply for Absa Group L'Atelier Competition
