Organizer Information
Dezi is an artist career support platform launching in 2026, operated by Phistream LLC. Founded by Nitya Mehrotra—a multidisciplinary creator whose work spans animation, filmmaking, public art, and brand strategy—Dezi was created to bridge the gap between artists discovering opportunities and submitting strong applications. Rooted in the belief that supporting working artists requires providing both direct funding and structural career tools, Dezi operates on an ethos of transparency and accessible growth without gatekeeping.
Title & Description
The Dezi Art Prize 2026: Unrestricted Global Art Grant
The Dezi Art Prize is an international, juried open call providing unrestricted funding and platform visibility to emerging and early-career visual artists worldwide. Established as the platform's inaugural grant cycle, the prize provides real monetary support with zero strings attached, giving artists total freedom over how they utilize their funds. Designed explicitly to remove traditional institutional barriers, the prize does not require formal art degrees, gallery representation, or prior exhibition history. Out of the submission pool, two grand prize winners receive cash awards and platform features, while ten named finalists gain global digital promotion, and top-ranked finalists receive direct career mentorship.
Categories
The prize accepts submissions across nine visual disciplines:
- Painting & Drawing,
- Sculpture,
- Filmmaking,
- Photography,
- Design, UI/UX Design,
- 2D/3D Animation,
- Fashion,
- Fiber & Material Arts.
(Note: Pure performance art, literary writing, and music compositions are not eligible).
Eligibility
- Geographic Scope: Open globally to international and US-based artists.
- Age Requirement: Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission.
- Career Stage: Designed for emerging, early-career, recent BFA/MFA/diploma graduates, and self-taught artists.
- Submission Limit: Strictly one entry per artist per grant cycle.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Grand Prize Winners (2 Artists): Each receives a $1,000 USD unrestricted cash grant, a dedicated profile across the Dezi website and social media channels, a featured announcement post, and a 1:1 career audit with the Dezi team.
- Top 3 Finalists: Receive a free 1:1 career consultation with the Dezi team using their career navigation framework.
- Ten Finalists: Formally named on the official site, featured in a dedicated Instagram rollout, and included in the public press announcement.
Application Fee
- Standard Entry Fee: $30 USD (flat fee, no added processing charges).
- Early Bird Discount: $20 USD for applications completed by August 1, 2026.
- Waiver Provisions: Student discounts and hardship waivers are evaluated case-by-case upon request via email (
nitya@dezi.work).
How to Apply
Artists can submit their portfolio and application materials directly through the centralized web portal.
- Official Entry Portal: Dezi Art Prize Application Hub
Key Dates
- Applications Open: July 15, 2026
- Early Bird Deadline ($20 Fee): August 1, 2026
- Final Application Deadline: September 10, 2026
- Jury Review Period: September 2026
- Winners & Finalists Announced: October 10, 2026
- Career Consultations Delivered: Within 60 days post-announcement
Location
This is a virtual opportunity. Application processing, jury evaluations, career audits, and winner spotlights take place entirely Online.
Additional Details
- Copyright & Rights: Artists retain 100% full copyright ownership of their work. Applicants grant Dezi a limited, non-exclusive license to reproduce submitted imagery solely to operate and promote the prize.
- Reciprocity: Winners are asked to credit the Dezi Art Prize on new work created with the grant and share finished projects within one year for potential inclusion in future Dezi exhibitions.
- Jury Board: Submissions are scored on artistic merit (craft/execution, originality/point of view, statement clarity, and pitch strength) by an independent panel including Dr. Katerina Valdivia Bruch, Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Christopher Sullivan, Yukti V. Agarwal, and Jessy Koeiman.