Short Description
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, musician and Prize Juror Björk kicked things off with an excerpt of her new film Cornucopia on Piccadilly Lights.
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.
Eligibility
We welcome early-career artists worldwide—whether individuals, duos, or collectives—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 the potential to inspire, provoke, or move a public audience;
- Propose a clear, ambitious plan for the new 10-minute commission.
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.
Submission Requirements
- 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.
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
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.
Entry Fee
None
Location
London, United Kingdom
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 20 June 2025
Website Link: https://circa.art/circa-prize/2025/
