Prêmio Claraboia de Arte Contemporânea
Claraboia is pleased to announce the first edition of the Prêmio Claraboia de Arte Contemporânea, established in 2026 to present, recognize, and create opportunities for emerging artists within the art world.
About the Prize
The prize is an initiative of Claraboia and is part of the gallery’s mission to make the art world more open and accessible to Brazilian artists at the beginning of their careers.
Held annually, the prize aims to recognize new talent and support the development of emerging artists’ careers, contributing to the growth of their research and artistic practices, the circulation of their work, and audience engagement.
Open to applications, the Claraboia Prize features a three-stage selection process—eligibility, finalist selection, and final award—with the participation of professionals from diverse fields and backgrounds, culminating in the selection of one winning artist in each edition. The prize includes a cash award and the opportunity to present a solo exhibition in São Paulo.
The 2026 Call for Applications (Notice No. 01/2026) details the rules and procedures for this inaugural edition of the Claraboia Contemporary Art Prize. The initiative aims to shed light on emerging artists and open new paths for their work—serving both as an opening through which artists can project their ideas and realize their visions, and as a window of opportunity for their work to be seen and valued by the public.
Who is eligible to apply?
- Brazilian citizens, by birth or naturalization;
- Of any age;
- Working across all forms of contemporary art;
- With up to 15 years of professional practice, counted from their first participation in a solo or group exhibition;
- Who have not held a solo exhibition in the city of São Paulo (SP, Brazil) within the past two years;
- Who do not have commercial representation in the Southeast region of Brazil, whether through a gallery or an individual.
Award Jury
Agnaldo Farias
Itajubá, MG, Brazil
Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design at the University of São Paulo and a researcher in contemporary art and architecture. An award-winning curator, he has served as chief curator of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, the Tomie Ohtake Institute, the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, and the 29th São Paulo Biennial. He was also associate curator of the 23rd São Paulo Biennial and the Brazilian Representation at the 25th São Paulo Biennial. Internationally, he has curated the 11th Cuenca Biennial in Ecuador, the Brazilian Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale, and the 3rd Coimbra Biennial in Portugal. He has also curated temporary exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC/USP).
Galciani Neves
Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
Curator, professor, and researcher in the field of visual arts. She holds a master’s and PhD in Communication and Semiotics from PUC-SP. She has worked with institutions including the São Paulo Biennial Foundation, the Tomie Ohtake Institute, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MuBE), and the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON). She was a visiting professor in the Master’s Program in Arts at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and one of the artistic and pedagogical consultants for Biblioteca-Floresta in Goiás. She is currently a professor in the Visual Arts program at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP), coordinator of the IAC Research Fellowship at the Institute of Contemporary Art (IAC), mentor of the Bora! Encounters Group, and curator-researcher at Rec Cultural.
Antonio Almeida
Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil
Co-founder and director of Claraboia and co-founder of Almeida & Dale, a gallery that has established itself as one of the leading institutions dedicated to promoting Brazilian art and advancing the professionalization of the country’s art market. Throughout his career, he held various positions in the retail and service sectors—from packer to florist—before entering the art world, where he worked as an art handler, driver, and salesperson at a gallery. With the founding of Almeida & Dale in 1998, he and his partner, Carlos Dale, played a key role in consolidating the sector by fostering dialogue between the primary and secondary art markets, actively developing partnerships that strengthen the creation and circulation of art across all regions of Brazil, and expanding the recognition of Brazilian art within the international art circuit. An important part of this work also includes supporting cultural and educational initiatives that contribute to the decentralization of artistic production in Brazil.
Renata Studart do Vale
Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
Co-founder and director of Claraboia. She is a collector, photographer, gallerist, cultural entrepreneur, and contemporary art researcher. In 2022, she founded Casa Gabriel, with a focus on promoting Brazilian culture, particularly artistic production from the North and Northeast of the country. In 2025, she continued this initiative with the creation of Claraboia, a gallery dedicated to expanding dialogues across different territories, generations, and forms of contemporary art, in partnership with Almeida & Dale. At the helm of the institution, she develops exhibitions, public programs, and partnerships focused on fostering the circulation of artists, ideas, and cultural practices.
Diogo Cantarelli
Recife, PE, Brazil
Businessman and art collector. He began collecting art in 2020, with a focus on Brazilian artistic production, building a collection dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of Brazilian art. He operates in the energy and infrastructure sectors and is the founder of REC Cultural, an institution currently under development in Recife dedicated to the preservation, research, and dissemination of art from Pernambuco and Brazil. He is a patron of Pinacoteca de São Paulo and Instituto Inhotim, and serves on the board of MASP. His work seeks to strengthen cultural institutions and expand public access to art.
Rebeca Carapiá
Salvador, BA, Brazil
Visual artist whose practice uses iron and copper as its primary materials, unfolding into sculptures, installations, drawings, and prints. Through gestures of twisting, joining, and bringing elements together, these materials form a distinctive artistic language. Since 2019, the artist’s work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions, with notable appearances at Valongo International Image Festival, Pivô Satélite, the 3rd Frestas – Triennial of Arts, Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS) in São Paulo, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia (MAM-BA), Solar dos Abacaxis, Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), Lunds Konsthall, Sweden, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Bahia (MAC-BA), and Sesc Pinheiros. Between 2024 and 2025, Rebeca was commissioned to produce works for the 36th São Paulo Biennial, Instituto Inhotim, and the 38th Panorama of Brazilian Art, presented by MAM-SP. Her work is also held in the collections of Instituto Inhotim, MAM Bahia, and Pinacoteca de São Paulo.
Award
In line with Claraboia’s mission and approach, the prize aims to support the career, research, and artistic practice of the winning artist, including:
- A cash award of R$10,000 (ten thousand Brazilian reais), net of taxes, for unrestricted use by the winning artist, to be paid within 15 (fifteen) days of signing the agreement between the artist and Claraboia;
- An additional R$40,000 (forty thousand Brazilian reais) allocated to support the artist’s development. The Claraboia team will assist with decisions and directly manage the use of these funds with suppliers. The funds may be used for the production of new works, studio space, materials and assistants, exceptional expenses related to the exhibition, and/or additional artist fees, with the latter to be paid at the end of the exhibition;
- Professional promotion of the artist, as well as guidance from the Claraboia team on matters related to their career, future opportunities, and other relevant topics, through the dismantling of the exhibition;
- A solo exhibition at Claraboia in São Paulo (SP, Brazil), in 2027.
Timeline
Timeline for the 2026 edition, subject to change:
August 5
Launch of the Claraboia Prize and 2026 edition
August 5 to September 21
Application period
November 2
Announcement of the 10 finalists
November 4 to 13
Interviews with the 10 finalists
November 14 to 24
Evaluation period
November 25
Announcement of the winner of the 2026 edition
For further information, please contact premio@claraboia.art.br.